The Adashe Women Housing has presented keys and allocation letters of newly completed housing units to 100 widows at Rigachikun in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State as the event represents an historical and emotional moment that mark a major milestone for vulnerable women in the state.
The housing units, numbering 1 to 100, comprise two-bedroom flat each, which are powered by solar technology, form the first phase of what the promoters describe as a model estate for vulnerable women nationwide.
The initiative, built under a collaboration involving Adashe Women Housing and Empowerment Society, Family Homes Funds and the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, is one of the flagship social housing projects aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
It is instructive to note that the estate was recently commissioned by Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani while the event was attended by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; the Minister of Housing, Arc. Shehu Kangiwa and many other dignitaries.
Speaking at the event on Wednesday, the Chief Executive Officer of Adashe Women Housing and Empowerment Society, Dr Umma Sani, said her difficult childhood as an orphan and the repeated trauma of homelessness inspired her lifelong dream to build free houses for widows and orphans.
Reflecting on the journey so far and the momentous handover of the housing units to the widows, Dr Sani said, “I gave my land and the Family Homes Funds partnered with us
and also Ministry for Budget and Planning, under the Hon Minister, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, to bring this project to life, and we thank God.”
Speaking to journalists shortly after the formal handover of the housing units to the widows, Sani said the project was not just a physical shelter but a pathway to dignity and stability for widows raising children without financial or emotional support.
She said, “This project is the first of its kind, and I thank God for making it possible. It is the first time we are having such a great collaboration between the private sector and the government to build houses specifically for the widows
“ Today 100 women have been given more than a home, they have been given a shelter, secluded and a beautiful serene home that they are going to raise their children, and orphans in this beautiful estate.”
Sani further disclosed that the housing scheme was not a standalone charity but part of a broader empowerment programme designed to make widows self-reliant.
She said, “Before giving them the houses, we trained them through skills acquisition in January 2024. They learned urban farming, cosmetology, shoemaking and bag making, spices production, catering—different skills that can help them generate income.
“We empowered them with starter packs and even provided pens for them to begin their businesses. The idea is not just to give houses but to give them the tools to stand on their feet.”
Sani added that she was satisfied with the level of commitment and enthusiasm displayed by the beneficiaries during the training sessions.
“The widows completed their training successfully, and today they have collected their keys and allocation letters. It is a wonderful day for all of us. We are very happy and grateful,” she said.
Sani also expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for creating an enabling environment for such initiatives to thrive, saying that the President’s support was remarkable and in tandem with his commitment to uplifting the vulnerable in the country.
She said, “I’m saying a very big thank you to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu. All this wouldn’t have been possible without his support under the Renewed Hope Agenda. This project is part of that vision, and today, we are seeing the results.”
According to Sani, the 100-unit project is only a pilot phase, adding that her organisation plans to replicate the initiative in all the 36 states of the federation.
She said, “This is the pilot project. We want to go around the 36 states of the Federation. Our goal is to ensure that widows and orphans across Nigeria can have a safe place to call home”.
When asked what inspired her to embark on the ambitious housing project, Sani became emotional as she narrated her childhood experiences, which she described as both painful and formative.
Sani, who is the last of 11 children, said the family lived in constant fear of eviction because they relied on unstable incomes and struggled to pay rent and recalled how the family was repeatedly mocked and stigmatised because of their situation.
The CEO of Adashe Women Housing then opened up, saying that, “There’s a history behind this. I was brought up as an orphan. I lost my dad when I was one year old. Growing up, the biggest challenge my family faced was housing.
“I am number 11 out of 11 children, the last born. I faced countless challenges. Many times, I would come back home from school and find our belongings thrown outside. The house would be locked because we couldn’t pay the monthly rent.
“The landlord would say, ‘These people, their father is dead, their mother is struggling, they cannot afford this flat. Why don’t you go and rent one room or face-me-I-face-you?’ Those words stayed with me. The humiliation, the fear, the insecurity—it was traumatic,” she added.
According to her, these bitter experiences stirred a deep determination in her as a teenager.
“I took a vow at a very young age—around 16 years. I told myself that if God gave me the opportunity, I would do something that has never been done in Nigeria: I would build houses for widows. Through the widows, I would help orphans because I can relate to what orphans go through. I passed through it,” she added.
Sani also said she initially thought she would only be able to build a handful of homes. But destiny, she added, took the vision far beyond her expectations.
She then said, “I thought I would start with maybe three, five, or 10 houses. But God made it possible for us to give out 100 houses for free today. I gave the land, and we partnered with Family Homes Funds and the Ministry of Budget and Planning. Allah made it possible. Alhamdulillah.”
Also speaking at the event, the representative of the Kaduna State Government and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing Development, Shehu Salisu, noted that both the federal and state governments were committed to providing affordable housing to alleviate the suffering of the less privileged.
Salisu urged the beneficiaries, especially widows, to maintain the newly completed houses, insisting that proper upkeep would encourage the government to expand similar interventions.
He said, “If the facility is properly maintained, it will encourage the government to do more.
“The government will be encouraged to replicate this. Let’s live peacefully.”
The permanent secretary also cautioned the beneficiaries not to take for granted the skill acquisition training they had received as part of the empowerment programme.
Salisu said, “If you comply with the terms and conditions attached, there will be more support for the estate to be worth living.”
He further warned against transferring, renting, or selling the allocated houses, saying such actions would attract severe sanctions, warning that, No rent, no sale.”
In his own comment at the occasion, the Managing Director of Family Homes Funds Limited, Abdul Muktar, urged the beneficiaries to embrace a strong maintenance culture, saying that housing remains one of the most fundamental needs of life.
He said, “We are quite sure you will maintain the facility.
“We are happy to be here, courtesy of President Bola Tinubu and the Finance Minister and his counterpart in the Budget and Planning Ministry.”
Muktar further disclosed that Family Homes Funds Limited is executing similar social housing projects across the country, including in Ibadan, Oyo State and Calabar, Cross River State.
According to him, the project in Ibadan targets the families of Nigeria’s fallen military heroes, while the Calabar project is designed to support the less privileged.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Sarah Owojere, also spoke to journalists at the event and described her allocation of a modern house as “a dream come true,” saying that the intervention by the Adashe Women Housing has rescued her family from years of hardship.