FG Gives 14-Member Panel Six Weeks to Turn Housing Proposals Into Action

The Federal Government has inaugurated a 14-member committee to develop an implementation strategy for stakeholder-backed reforms in Nigeria’s housing and built-environment sector.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma, inaugurated the committee in Abuja and directed it to complete its assignment within six weeks.

The panel, officially known as the Ministerial Implementation Committee on the Validated Stakeholders’ Strategies on Housing Sector Reforms, will be chaired by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Shuaib Belgore.

Darma said the committee was established to move the reform proposals beyond consultations and translate them into practical measures capable of improving housing delivery across the country.

According to the minister, the government has a responsibility to provide housing directly or create the conditions that enable Nigerians to build, purchase or rent decent homes.

He said the committee must develop a framework that strengthens regulation, accommodates stakeholders across the housing value chain and increases the built environment’s contribution to the national economy.

The minister urged members to approach the assignment with urgency and remain committed despite the institutional and economic challenges facing the sector.

He also expressed confidence that effective implementation of the stakeholders’ recommendations could reposition housing as a major driver of economic growth, employment and investment.

Responding on behalf of the committee, Belgore said the panel had received a working document that would be reviewed to identify gaps and develop an effective implementation framework.

He assured the minister that members would work together to complete the assignment within the stipulated six-week period.

Belgore added that the committee would undertake further consultations as the framework develops to secure broad support from government institutions, professional bodies, developers, financiers and other industry participants.

Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Shehu Osidi, commended the ministry for initiating the reform process.

Osidi said some of the recommendations aligned with existing reforms being pursued by FMBN.

He recalled that previous efforts to amend the National Housing Fund and FMBN laws, as well as a proposed ₦500 billion recapitalisation of the mortgage bank, had encountered resistance from stakeholders.

The FMBN managing director consequently stressed that continuous stakeholder engagement would be essential to the success of the latest reform programme.

A representative of the Federal Housing Authority also pledged the agency’s cooperation with the implementation committee.

The effectiveness of the initiative will ultimately depend on whether the panel produces clear responsibilities, measurable targets, financing plans and realistic deadlines.

For Nigerians facing rising rents, high construction costs and limited mortgage access, the success of the reforms will be judged by their ability to increase the supply of affordable homes and make homeownership more accessible.