The Federal Government has announced plans to make the long-awaited National Housing Data Centre (NHDC) fully operational by December 2025, in a move expected to transform Nigeria’s housing and real estate policy landscape through accurate and evidence-based data.
Coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (FMHUD), the initiative aims to harmonise housing statistics across the country, track progress in addressing the housing deficit, and provide reliable information for policy formulation and investment decisions.
Chairman of the Technical Committee on the National Housing Data Programme (NHDP), Dr. Taofeeq Olatinwo, told The Guardian that the NHDC will function as a federated system, allowing states, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to regularly feed data into a unified national platform.
He explained that the system will enable both state-level analysis and national coordination, helping the government identify housing gaps, affordability trends, and emerging urban patterns.
“The target is for the NHDC to go live in December 2025,” Olatinwo said. “It will have inputs from states, MDAs, and private developers at defined intervals, in line with global standards.”
To ensure international credibility, the NHDC is being developed in collaboration with global housing data partners, including the World Bank, African Union for Housing Finance (AUHF), Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa (CAHF), and HOFINET. These organisations are providing technical support to align Nigeria’s data systems with global benchmarks and reporting metrics.
According to Olatinwo, the NHDC will capture key indicators such as housing stock, new developments, demolitions, conversions, and occupancy levels, giving a comprehensive picture of the nation’s housing situation. He noted that the centre would eventually evolve into a professionally run Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) responsible for data validation, quality control, and updates.
Unlike past housing data initiatives restricted to government agencies, the NHDC will be accessible to the public through an online dashboard built on the existing Housing Market Information Portal (HMIP) hosted by the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC). It will also integrate inputs from agencies like the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), National Population Commission (NPC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and others.
The Federal Government has also begun engaging state governments to ensure full nationwide participation. Six pilot states were consulted in July 2025, forming the foundation for broader collaboration across all 36 states.
The NHDC project is supported by a joint committee comprising representatives from FMHUD, NMRC, NBS, NPC, CBN, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL), and the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), among others.
The committee is tasked with finalising the technical framework, legal documentation, and data-gathering model. The plan envisions transitioning the NHDC into a self-sustaining SPV that operates as a business entity to ensure long-term viability.
Olatinwo said the initiative would provide accurate data to guide government housing policies, budget allocations, and social housing interventions. Despite some challenges, including funding and capacity building, he expressed optimism that the NHDC would be a game-changer for Nigeria’s housing sector by shifting decision-making from assumptions to evidence-based planning.
