Ahmed Dangiwa, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, has expressed concern over Nigeria’s escalating housing crisis, revealing that over 70% of the country’s estimated 43 million housing units do not meet basic habitability standards.
During his address at the Renewed Hope Housing Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Summit in Abuja, Dangiwa pointed out significant shortcomings, such as insufficient access to piped water, sewage systems, and electricity.
He stressed the urgent need for intervention, not only to tackle the housing deficit but also to enhance the quality of existing homes.
“Nigeria is confronted with a dual challenge: a critical housing shortage and inadequate living conditions. Estimates of the housing deficit range from 17 to 28 million units, but the absence of reliable data has complicated effective planning.
“To address this issue, the Ministry is working in partnership with the National Population Commission (NPC) to ensure that the upcoming national census yields accurate housing data.
“The government has initiated a National Housing Data Infrastructure project, which unites key players including the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),” he stated.
Dangiwa also mentioned that until this initiative is fully implemented, the Ministry will be addressing a housing deficit of more than 20 million units.
He further emphasized, “To bridge this gap, Nigeria must build at least 500,000 housing units each year for the next ten years, necessitating an annual investment of over N5 trillion ($6.25 billion).”
