The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Dr Muttaqha Darma, said the Federal Government has unveiled plans to build 100 housing units in each of the country’s 774 local government areas under its Social Housing Programme, translating to 77,400 units nationwide.
The Minister stated the plan at the closing ceremony of the 15th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development held in Sokoto.
Dr Darma also announced plans to expand mortgage delivery to 5,000 by 2028 and increase the maximum mortgage loan from N50 million to N85 million.
He said the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria would be directed to channel at least 70 per cent of the previous year’s National Housing Fund contributions into mortgage delivery annually.
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According to the minister, the government is targeting 2,000 mortgages in the current year, with the figure expected to rise to 5,000 by 2028.
He said that between 30 and 40 per cent of mortgage bookings would be targeted at informal sector workers, many of whom have faced difficulties accessing formal housing finance.
Dr Darma said the proposed reforms were designed to strengthen the housing finance system, improve access to mortgage facilities and ensure that more Nigerian workers benefited from their National Housing Fund contributions.
He also said plans to establish a National Housing Finance Authority to improve coordination and regulation in the sector, alongside the recently launched Diaspora Mortgage Programme for Nigerians living abroad.
The minister stressed that effective implementation, transparency and accountability would be critical to ensuring that the initiatives benefited low- and middle-income earners and informal sector workers.
Also in his remarks, the Sokoto State Governor, Dr Ahmed Aliyu, disclosed that his administration had initiated 1,836 housing units to tackle the state’s housing deficit.
Affordable Housing
He said the state’s projects aligned with his administration’s nine-point SMART Agenda and commitment to providing affordable housing for residents.
The governor listed the projects to include 500 housing units at Wajake in Wamakko Local Government Area, 500 at Sokoto New City, 136 units acquired from the Federal Government at Kwannawa, and 100 units each for internally displaced persons in Illela and Rabah local government areas.
He added that 500 housing units at Gidan Salanke, initiated by the administration of former Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, were being completed by the present administration.
He appreciated the council for choosing sokoto state to host the meeting and assured hi administration continued collaboration for sustainable housing reforms across the country.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, described the theme of the meeting, “Strengthening Mortgage, Land and Institutional Systems for Accelerated and Inclusive Housing Development,” as timely, calling for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to make housing more affordable and accessible.
Other speakers included the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo; Chairman of the House Committee on Urban Development and Regional Planning, Awaji-Inombek Abiante; and Sokoto State Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Nasiru Dantsoho.
The meeting brought together commissioners responsible for lands, housing and urban development from the 36 states of the federation and ended with resolutions aimed at accelerating inclusive housing delivery nationwide.
