The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, has emphasized the pivotal role of quantity surveyors in advancing the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Housing Programme and several national infrastructure initiatives.
Speaking at the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) conference, the minister noted that the profession remains essential to ensuring cost accuracy, procurement transparency and effective contract management—all key elements of the administration’s infrastructure agenda.
Critical Role in Housing and Urban Renewal
Dangiwa explained that the ministry’s director of public buildings, a senior quantity surveyor, relies heavily on accurate project costing and transparent procurement processes to drive the housing programme efficiently.
He added that quantity surveyors are also actively supporting the National Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrade Programme, which is currently being implemented in 150 locations across Nigeria.
Their expertise is equally crucial to the National Land Title Registration initiative and the government’s plan to establish building-material manufacturing hubs nationwide.
Profession Aligned With Government Priorities
According to Dangiwa, the Tinubu administration’s focus on transparency, accountability, efficient public spending and quality infrastructure delivery aligns directly with the core values upheld by quantity surveyors.
He called for stronger collaboration between the government and built-environment professionals to build an infrastructure system grounded in global best practices.
Challenges in Nigeria’s Construction Sector
Nigeria’s construction and infrastructure sectors have long faced systemic challenges, including:
- Cost overruns
- Abandoned projects
- Procurement fraud
- Weak monitoring and evaluatio
- Industry estimates show that billions of naira are lost annually due to inflated contracts, poor cost control and inconsistent project supervision.
Reforms to Strengthen Infrastructure Delivery
In response, the Federal Government has intensified fiscal and governance reforms aimed at:
- Tightening public expenditure
- Boosting non-oil revenue
- Reducing leakages
- Attracting investment into critical infrastructure
Quantity surveyors—who handle cost estimation, contract management, value engineering and procurement oversight—have become central to these reforms.
The NIQS conference, Dangiwa said, is taking place at a time when Nigeria urgently needs built-environment professionals to help strengthen the country’s infrastructure delivery systems.
