The Federal Government has inaugurated a Joint Steering Committee on National Housing Data to tackle housing deficits in the country.
speaking during the ceremony, held in Abuja, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa emphasised the role of accurate and verifiable data in tackling the country’s housing challenges.
“Ensuring access to decent and affordable housing is not only a social and moral responsibility of the government. It is also a catalyst for economic development, job creation, and poverty alleviation,” he stated.
The minister lamented the lack of credible data on Nigeria’s housing situation, describing it as a national emergency for the sector.
“Without data, we cannot know the magnitude of the problem we are facing, how much resources we need to allocate, for how long, which areas to focus on, which markets to prioritise, and a host of other considerations. In fact, we would be flying blind. This is not sustainable,” he warned.
The newly inaugurated Joint Steering Committee is tasked with developing a blueprint to establish a National Housing Data Centre.
The committee’s membership includes representatives from key stakeholders in Nigeria’s housing market, such as the National Population Commission, the National Bureau of Statistics, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, among others.
“The committee has been established as a strategic partnership among key stakeholders in Nigeria’s housing market, with the mandate to develop and implement a blueprint for ensuring transparency and ease of access to housing data in Nigeria, which will be essential for policy and decision-making towards affordable housing and the well-being of Nigerians,” the minister explained.
The minister also outlined the key deliverables expected from the Committee, including the development of frameworks for setting up the NHDC, data collection from public and private institutions, and the distribution of housing data to institutional and retail investors.
The committee is expected to deliver these outcomes within a timeline ranging from two to four months.
The minister urged all committee members to approach their duties with diligence and commitment.
“I urge all the members to take this national assignment seriously and dedicate their efforts and resources to achieving the goals for which this committee is set up.
“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, we are firmly against creating committees that do not deliver on their mandates. The timelines are clear, the deliverables are also clear. Let us work towards meeting them and charting a new and credible path forward for housing data acquisition, management, and usage,” he said.
