Nigeria’s housing deficit stands at 15m — FG

The Federal Government has said it will collaborate with state governments and other stakeholders to reduce Nigeria’s estimated 15 million housing deficit. The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa, who stated this on Thursday at the closing ceremony of the 14th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development held in Ilorin, […]

The Federal Government has said it will collaborate with state governments and other stakeholders to reduce Nigeria’s estimated 15 million housing deficit.

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa, who stated this on Thursday at the closing ceremony of the 14th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development held in Ilorin, Kwara State also clarified that the housing deficit currently stands at 15million.

“Unlike previous unreliable figures, current data shows that Nigeria’s housing deficit stands at about 15 million units, rather than the 20 million or more that was previously being quoted,” he said.

The meeting, themed “Achieving Housing Delivery and Sustainable Cities through Effective Land Management, Urban Renewal, Promotion of Local Building Materials, and Public Private Partnerships in Nigeria,” was organised by the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

Speaking on the theme, Dangiwa outlined a Unified Housing Delivery Framework designed to align federal housing institutions with state level implementation.

He said the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Federal Housing Authority, Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company, MOFI Real Estate Investment Fund, and Family Homes Funds Limited would operate as a single, coordinated system.

Under the framework, the minister explained that states are expected to provide land, infrastructure, and counterpart funding, while federal institutions mobilise long-term finance, technical support, and affordable mortgage solutions.

Dangiwa called on state governments, development partners, private investors, and professional bodies to support the National Homeownership and Housing Development Campaign, scheduled to be flagged off in Katsina State in March 2026.

He stressed that Nigeria’s housing challenges could not be resolved without reforming the country’s land administration system.

According to him, the National Land Titling, Registration and Documentation Programme (Land4Growth) remains central to the ministry’s reform agenda.

“In 2025, we secured strong national stakeholder buy-in through high level engagements in Abuja and Lagos, supported by World Bank implementation missions to Kaduna, Kano, and Niger states,” Dangiwa said.

He disclosed that within the past year, the ministry processed and signed 1,743 Certificates of Occupancy, approved 345 secondary transactions, including mortgages and consents, and concluded 32 valuation approvals nationwide.

The minister emphasised urban renewal as a national priority, noting that rapid urbanisation continues to outpace infrastructure and planning capacity.

Through the National Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrade Programme, he said the ministry has delivered “over 240 projects nationwide, with more than 100 others currently at various stages of completion”.

In his address, Kwara state governor, AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Kayode Alabi, said the state government is pursuing the urban renewal initiative to make housing affordable to the residents of the state.

In his remarks, Chairman House of Representative committee on Urban Development and Regional planning, Dr. Abiante Awaji urged stakeholders to adopt practical resolutions on urban development that can be implemented across the country.

For his part, commissioner for Housing and Urban development, Dr Segun Ogunsola expressed satisfaction with the way participants engage in the deliberation to solve the challenges of housing deficit in the country.