The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the Federal Government to convert the abandoned official residence built for Vice President Kashim Shettima into a general hospital for low-income and vulnerable residents of Abuja.

HURIWA made the call in a statement signed on Monday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko.

The group said the continued non-use of the residence nearly two years after its commissioning had reinforced its earlier concerns over the project and the public funds committed to it.

HURIWA recalled that it had opposed the decision to spend billions of naira on the residence while millions of Nigerians faced poverty, unemployment, insecurity and worsening living conditions.

The association said the expenditure also came as Nigerians grappled with the impact of petrol subsidy removal and the floating of the naira.

It had previously described the project as an “intolerable error of judgment”, arguing that government should focus more on citizens’ welfare and reducing the cost of governance.

“It is an intolerable error of judgment that the government embarked on such white elephant projects as the completion of a multi-billion naira mansion for the Vice President at a time when millions of Nigerian households are experiencing multidimensional poverty,” Onwubiko said.

The group said the residence was originally awarded in 2010 at about N7 billion but remained abandoned for several years before the Federal Capital Territory Administration revived the project.

According to HURIWA, the cost later rose to about N21 billion, while approximately N22 billion in public funds was reportedly committed to the project and associated works.

The facility was commissioned in June 2024. The Federal Government had presented its completion as an effort to prevent inherited projects from becoming wasted public investments.

However, HURIWA noted that Shettima has continued to use Akinola Aguda House as his official residence.

The group said the situation raises questions about the billions spent on the facility and why it has not served its original purpose.

HURIWA therefore urged the government not to commit more funds to the residence without first explaining how the money already allocated was spent.

It called for a transparent account covering the original contract sum, variations, additional allocations, total expenditure, scope of work and reasons for the facility’s continued non-use.

The association also cautioned against allowing the controversy to fuel speculation based on unverified claims.

Instead, it proposed converting the residence into a general hospital that would serve poor, unemployed and vulnerable residents of Abuja.

HURIWA said such a conversion would give taxpayers a tangible public benefit from an asset that has already consumed substantial public resources.

The group argued that access to affordable healthcare remains a pressing concern for many Nigerians. It therefore said the facility could address an important social need if government repurposed it as a public hospital.

HURIWA stressed that its proposal was not directed at Shettima personally or at the office of the Vice President.

Rather, it said the call was aimed at promoting responsible management of public assets and ensuring that government obtains maximum value from public expenditure.

The association maintained that where billions have been spent on an asset that no longer serves its original purpose, government should consider alternative uses that directly benefit citizens.

It said converting the residence into a general hospital would provide a more meaningful public purpose than allowing the facility to remain underutilised.