The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development says its adoption of the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) System has improved efficiency, transparency and document management across its operations.

Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Yusuf Ata, disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday during the first anniversary of the ECM System and the launch of the ministry’s Performance Management System (PMS).

Ata said the milestone marked more than a year of operating a digital system, describing it as a reflection of the ministry’s broader effort to transform how government information is created, managed, shared, secured and preserved.

ECM Reduces Paperwork, Speeds Up Workflows

According to the minister, the introduction of ECM has improved access to information, reduced dependence on physical documents, strengthened records management and supported faster workflows.

“The introduction of enterprise content management has strengthened our efforts toward a more efficient, transparent and digitally-enabled public service,” he said.

Ata said the system was contributing to the ministry’s goal of developing a modern and responsive institution in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He commended the ministry’s management, staff, ICT Department, technical team and other stakeholders for their contributions to the implementation.

The minister also urged staff to fully embrace the system, build the capacity required to maximise its benefits and take ownership of the Performance Management System.

Digital Transition Saves Over N400m

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore, said full implementation of the ECM began on September 30, 2025, following an earlier pilot phase.

He said the initiative represented a shift from predominantly paper-based processes towards a more digital and responsive working environment.

According to Belgore, the ministry’s transition towards paperless operations has contributed to annual savings of more than N400 million, particularly through reduced stationery procurement.

“ECM has reduced our dependence on physical files, strengthened document tracking and accessibility and supported faster decision making,” he said.

Belgore disclosed that more than 90 desktop computers and 30 laptops were distributed to departments in February 2026.

He said the ministry’s focus would now move from adopting the system to optimising its use.

1,200 Staff Onboarded, 669,108 Pages Digitised

Head of the Information and Communication Technology Department, Dr Amiolemen Osagie, said 1,200 staff members had been onboarded onto the ECM platform.

He disclosed that 6,018 legacy files containing 80,224 documents and 669,108 pages had been digitised and stored on the ECM database.

According to Osagie, the system has improved the accessibility, retrieval, movement and tracking of official documents.

He added that ECM had strengthened collaboration between departments, document security, institutional records management, accountability and transparency.

Civil Service Commends Digital Transformation

Representing the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Danjuma Kalba, Permanent Secretary, Common Services Office, congratulated the ministry on the milestone.

Kalba said the ECM initiative demonstrated the potential of digital technology when leadership provides policy direction, institutions take ownership and public servants embrace innovation.

“The ECM initiative demonstrates that when leadership provides direction, institutions take ownership and public servants embrace innovation technology can fundamentally transform the way government works,” he said.

He stressed that digital transformation goes beyond acquiring technology and requires changes in how government institutions operate.

Kalba urged the ministry to make its second year of ECM implementation a period of deeper adoption, wider integration and stronger digital competencies.

The anniversary also featured the presentation of awards to departments and staff members recognised for outstanding performance in using the ECM platform.

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FG Sets Six-Week Deadline for Actionable Housing Reform Blueprint

The Federal Government has given a 14-member ministerial committee six weeks to develop a practical implementation strategy for wide-ranging reforms in Nigeria’s housing and built-environment sector.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Muttaqa Rabe Darma, inaugurated the committee in Abuja and directed its members to convert recommendations from housing stakeholders into measurable actions.

The panel is officially known as the Ministerial Committee on the Implementation Framework for the Validated Stakeholder Resolutions on Housing Sector Reforms.

Its members were drawn from technical departments of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and relevant housing agencies.

The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Shuaib Belgore, was appointed chairman of the committee.

Under its terms of reference, the panel is expected to coordinate the implementation of approved reform measures and develop a detailed work plan identifying priorities, timelines, responsibilities and expected results.

The committee will also monitor progress and ensure that agencies or departments assigned specific responsibilities complete them within the approved timeframe.

Darma explained that the reform recommendations emerged from an earlier stakeholders’ validation conference, where participants examined housing data and proposed measures for repositioning the sector.

The recommendations have been divided into three categories: measures the ministry can implement immediately, proposals requiring approval from the Presidential Council and reforms that will require legislative action.

According to the minister, the government’s responsibility extends beyond the direct construction of houses. It must also create an enabling environment in which individuals, developers, investors and financial institutions can increase housing supply.

Darma identified stronger regulation as an important requirement for improving standards and unlocking the economic potential of Nigeria’s built environment.

He cited 2025 data indicating that the sector contributes approximately 17 per cent to the Nigerian economy, compared with between 22 and 27 per cent in countries such as South Africa and Kenya.

The minister expressed confidence that better policies, improved regulation and coordinated implementation could help the Nigerian housing sector increase its contribution to national economic growth.

He urged the committee to approach its assignment with urgency and produce a workable strategy within the six-week deadline.

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

He said the committee would focus on immediate interventions while preparing reforms requiring consideration by the Federal Executive Council or the National Assembly.

Belgore added that further consultations would be held with stakeholders to build broad support and ensure that the reforms reflected the needs of professionals, developers, financiers, artisans and other participants in the housing industry.

Standardising professional practices and improving coordination among engineers, architects, builders, artisans and other construction workers will also form part of the reform process.

Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Shehu Usman Osidi, welcomed the initiative but warned that sustained stakeholder engagement would be critical to its success.

Osidi recalled that previous efforts to amend the National Housing Fund and FMBN Acts, as well as a proposed ₦500 billion recapitalisation of the mortgage bank, encountered stakeholder resistance.

He advised the committee to apply lessons from those experiences and ensure that affected groups were properly consulted before major changes were implemented.

The Federal Housing Authority also pledged its cooperation with the committee and expressed confidence that the reforms could improve housing delivery across the country.

While the inauguration represents another step towards reforming the sector, the initiative’s success will depend on whether the committee’s recommendations are implemented, funded and supported by the necessary executive and legislative approvals.

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Housing Ministry Gives Reform Committee Six Weeks to Develop Action Plan

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

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Dr Muttaqha Rabe Darma, inaugurated the committee in Abuja and directed its members to submit a practical implementation strategy within six weeks.

The committee is chaired by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Shuaib Belgore. Its membership includes officials from relevant housing agencies and the ministry’s technical departments.

The committee was established following a stakeholder validation conference convened to examine national housing-deficit data and determine policy priorities for transforming the sector.

Its responsibilities include coordinating the implementation of the validated reforms and developing a detailed work plan containing priority actions, timelines and measurable deliverables.

Members are also expected to monitor progress and ensure that responsibilities assigned to the ministry, its agencies and other institutions are completed within the approved timelines.

Darma explained that the recommendations adopted at the stakeholder conference had been divided into three categories.

The first category covers reforms that the housing ministry can implement immediately through administrative action. The second consists of measures requiring consideration and approval by the Presidential Council, while the third covers proposals that require legislation.

The classification is expected to help the ministry determine the appropriate implementation route for each recommendation and reduce delays associated with institutional approvals.

According to the minister, the government’s responsibility is either to provide homes directly or establish an enabling environment in which Nigerians can build, rent or purchase suitable accommodation.

He also called for stronger regulation of the built environment to improve professional standards, protect consumers and increase the sector’s contribution to national development.

Citing 2025 data from the National Bureau of Statistics, Darma said housing and the broader built-environment sector contributed about 17 per cent to Nigeria’s economy.

He compared the figure with contributions ranging between 22 and 27 per cent in countries such as South Africa and Kenya, arguing that appropriate reforms could help Nigeria close the gap.

The minister said an efficient housing industry could contribute more substantially to economic growth through construction activity, job creation, local building-material production, mortgage expansion and real estate investment.

He urged the committee to treat its assignment with urgency and produce an implementation plan capable of translating stakeholder recommendations into measurable outcomes.

The development comes as the government faces growing calls to address high construction costs, difficult access to land, limited mortgage finance, weak regulation and the shortage of affordable homes.

The committee’s effectiveness will depend on whether its recommendations lead to clear policy decisions, enforceable standards and coordinated action among the ministry, housing agencies, financial institutions and private developers.

Its report is also expected to indicate which reforms can be implemented quickly and which will require executive or legislative intervention.

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The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has expressed interest in expanding cooperation with TEC Engineering Company Nigeria Limited to support large-scale housing delivery and urban-renewal projects across the country.

Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore, disclosed this while receiving a delegation from the company during a courtesy visit in Abuja.

TEC Engineering Company Nigeria Limited is a subsidiary of China Railway International Group.

Belgore said Nigeria remained open to credible investments and partnerships capable of supporting national development, particularly efforts to provide affordable housing and reduce the country’s housing shortage.

According to him, the ministry is pursuing several housing-delivery options, including direct government construction, public-private partnerships and collaboration with private developers possessing the capacity to execute projects on a large scale.

He said the Federal Government intends to make significant progress in addressing Nigeria’s estimated housing deficit of about 15 million units over the next decade. Achieving this objective, he noted, would require stronger private-sector participation.

The Permanent Secretary explained that the government’s urban-renewal programme extends beyond residential construction to the provision and improvement of essential infrastructure.

These interventions include roads, water supply, drainage systems, electricity, healthcare facilities and other amenities needed to improve living conditions within communities.

Belgore also commended TEC Engineering for the progress recorded on the reconstruction of covered conduits and roads in Kano State. He acknowledged delays in budgetary releases and urged the company to maintain the pace of work while the relevant funding provisions were being addressed.

President of China Railway International Group, Zhao Jinxiang, thanked the ministry for awarding the Kano project to TEC Engineering.

Jinxiang said the company would continue working on the project despite challenges encountered at the site.

He added that the delegation’s visit was intended to identify further areas of cooperation with the housing ministry, including urban infrastructure, underground ducts, wastewater management and sewage-treatment projects.

The discussions signal potential collaboration between the Federal Government and the Chinese engineering company. However, no specific housing target, investment value, project location or implementation timetable was announced.

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The Federal Government has formally transferred 188 completed housing units to the Taraba State Government as part of efforts to expand access to affordable homes and reduce Nigeria’s housing shortage.

The houses, constructed in Jalingo under the National Housing Programme, were handed over to the state government during a ceremony at the Government House.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Dr Muttaqa Rabe Darma, presented the housing units to Taraba State Governor, Dr Agbu Kefas.

The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, and the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Shuaib Belgore, were also present at the ceremony.

Darma said the delivery formed part of the Federal Government’s broader commitment to providing decent and affordable accommodation through the Renewed Hope Housing Agenda.

He described housing as an essential human need, stressing that completed government-funded housing projects must be occupied and put to productive use rather than remain vacant.

According to the minister, direct acquisition by state governments could accelerate the allocation of completed federal housing units to Nigerians.

He said the model would enable states to distribute the houses to eligible beneficiaries, including civil servants, security personnel, working families and other residents requiring decent accommodation.

The minister commended the Taraba State Government for acquiring the 188 units, noting that the decision would ensure the houses were allocated without unnecessary delays.

Beyond increasing the supply of homes, the Federal Government said its housing programme was designed to generate employment in the construction industry and facilitate the emergence of sustainable communities.

Receiving the houses on behalf of the state, Governor Kefas thanked the Federal Government and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for the intervention.

He described the handover as an important contribution to Taraba’s efforts to improve access to affordable housing.

Kefas assured prospective beneficiaries that the state government would introduce a transparent allocation process to ensure the properties reached those who genuinely needed them.

The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development encouraged other state governments to consider adopting a similar acquisition model.

It explained that the approach could reduce the number of completed but unoccupied government houses while accelerating their transfer to citizens.

The 188 homes form part of the National Housing Programme implemented across the federation. The programme complements the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates initiative, which places emphasis on affordability, quality, accessibility and increased housing delivery.

The handover marks another step in the government’s attempt to move completed housing units from public inventory into active occupation, particularly as Nigeria continues to confront a substantial housing deficit.

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The is set to unlock over ₦300 billion in dormant land assets through ongoing land administration reforms aimed at improving housing access and strengthening the real estate sector.

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, , disclosed that the initiative is being implemented under the National Land Titling, Registration and Documentation Programme.

He explained that the programme focuses on digitising land records, improving transparency, and enhancing land ownership security across Nigeria.

Poor documentation limits asset potential

Belgore noted that fragmented and poorly documented land records have left significant assets untapped within the housing sector.

He said digitisation will help unlock these assets, making them accessible for development and investment.

Renewed push for mass housing projects

As part of broader reforms, the government is also advancing the Renewed Hope Estates and Cities Programme, which aims to deliver over 50,000 housing units nationwide through public-private partnerships.

According to Belgore, about 14 housing project sites are currently active, including major housing cities and estates across the country.

The largest development, located in Karsana, Abuja, is expected to deliver more than 3,000 housing units upon completion.

Women key to housing sector growth

Speaking at the event, highlighted the growing role of women in the built environment, noting their contributions to housing delivery and infrastructure development.

She, however, pointed out that access to finance remains a major challenge for women in the sector.

Boost for property market

The reforms are expected to improve land governance, attract investment, and support affordable housing delivery, while addressing long-standing inefficiencies in Nigeria’s property market.

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