Dangiwa Reiterates Commitment to Land Use Reforms and Adequate Housing Data The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has pledged his commitment to working with stakeholders and the National Assembly to ensure that the country's Land Use Act is comprehensively reviewed and amended. This initiative aims to update the laws guiding housing, access to land, compensation, resettlement, and other land-related matters in line with current realities. The Minister gave this assurance during a meeting with a World Bank delegation at the ministry's headquarters in Abuja on Monday, 4th September 2023.   Arc. Dangiwa observed that key provisions of the Act, including those related to compensation, are obsolete and lack relevance in guiding land-related matters in today's Nigeria. "I have already issued a directive to the Directors of the Department of Land and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning to develop a robust framework for engaging the National Assembly and stakeholders in reviewing the Land Use Act."   While addressing the issue of the housing deficit, the Minister emphasized the importance of instituting a sustainable framework that generates credible, reliable, and scientific data to guide policy formulation. He stated that he has already moved beyond simply discussing the problem to taking action by engaging the National Population Commission to leverage the forthcoming population census to obtain baseline scientific data about the state of housing conditions in Nigeria.   The visit by the World Bank team aimed to brief the new ministers on the existing collaboration between the World Bank and the ministry, ongoing projects and programs in the housing, land, urban development, and mortgage finance sectors, as well as discuss avenues for further collaborations.   The leader of the delegation, Michael Ilesanmi, noted that discussions with the ministry on land acquisition, resettlement, and compensation began in 2014, with a deepening of these discussions in 2022.   "Land remains a significant issue in the sector. The Land Use Act faces various challenges, and while realities have changed since its enactment in 1978, not much has changed with the Act. I believe there are opportunities to revise the Act to make it more relevant today," he said. He added that the issues surrounding acquisition, resettlement, and compensation are hindering development.   The World Bank team also expressed concern about the inadequate processes and standards used in determining replacement costs and compensation rates, which further exacerbate the challenges in land development. "You can obtain the legal license, but without the social license, you cannot operate effectively," said Ilesanmi.   While the World Bank offered its commitment to provide technical and knowledge assistance to the ministry when called upon, it called for a systematic approach to dealing with the numerous challenges in the land and housing sector.   The minister further assured the team that his leadership is determined to address all the challenges confronting the sector, as well as looking into the foreclosure law, which is essential for the growth of the mortgage industry. He also noted that the ministry will collaborate with relevant agencies in the area of policy development to ensure urban planning receives adequate attention, adding that the retreat for state officials of urban planning scheduled to take place in October 2023 will be one way to discuss strategies to tackle the challenge of unplanned cities. ...

Dangiwa Assumes Office, Pledges Bold Vision for Affordable Housing and Urban Development On Monday, August 21, 2023, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa officially assumed office as the Minister for Housing and Urban Development, pledging to realize President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bold vision for housing and urban renewal.   Addressing top ministry officials, heads of agencies, and staff, Arc. Dangiwa underscored the important role of the Ministry in ensuring all Nigerian have access to decent, quality, and affordable housing while fostering livable communities.   To execute this mandate effectively, the Minister said he will prioritize creating an enabling environment to encourage increased private sector participation and investment, along with the formulation of policies that empower agencies supervised by the ministry to optimize their performance according to their designated functions.   "I believe that the responsibility of this Ministry is to create an enabling environment and formulate policies that empower agencies under its supervision to perform their functions optimally. This will be a central focus of my leadership, and I urge you all to work in alignment with this vision," he declared.   Acknowledging the challenges arising from rapid population growth and increasing housing demands, Arc. Dangiwa pledged to seize these challenges as opportunities for growth and progress. He committed to championing strategic housing reforms to dismantle barriers hindering housing and urban development.   Notably, he disclosed plans to work closely with the National Assembly to review relevant laws to streamline land and housing administration and increase investments in the housing sector.   He also said he will prioritize the N500 billion recapitalization of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), to enable the bank offer more affordable mortgage loans and foster homeownership.   The minister also revealed plans to accelerate the reform of the FMBN and the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) so they can have the necessary capacity, and the technological edge to deliver world class services to Nigerians.   He additionally pledged to embrace innovative financing solutions for housing construction and to collaborate with relevant institutions to secure funding for large-scale affordable housing projects nationwide.   The minister said he unveil a comprehensive Strategic Housing and Urban Development Blueprint in the coming days. This blueprint is expected to outline detailed priorities, initiatives, reforms, and plans to reshape the nation's housing landscape. ...

"Think Outside the Box for Solutions to Housing Problems" - Dangiwa Charges Heads of Housing and Urban Development The Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has directed the Heads of Departments within the Ministry to think outside the box and come up with innovative measures and ideas that will help the Ministry achieve its mandate of providing affordable housing, increasing access to land, and ensuring the sustainable development of urban and rural areas and communities nationwide.   Arc. Dangiwa issued this directive on the first day of receiving Detailed Briefings from the Principal Officers of the Ministry. This is part of a broad range of reform actions that he plans to take to ensure that the Ministry is properly re-aligned along the path of enhanced efficiency to enable perform its functions optimally towards delivering greater impact as stated in its mandate.   This includes ensuring that the Ministry, which is mostly staffed by professional Architects and Town Planners, take the lead in researching and developing housing designs that are, in reality, actually affordable, acceptable, and accessible to Nigerians, particularly low and medium-income earners, who constitute over 80% of the Nigerian population. He emphasized that all professionals within the Ministry must take their roles seriously and contribute their quota towards achieving this objective.   “As a Ministry staffed mostly with professional Architects, we must use our knowledge and expertise to produce innovative housing designs that are affordable and livable. We must prioritize the 80% of Nigerians that are within the low to medium income segment. They too are Nigerians and deserve to live in decent, safe, and quality homes” he stated.   To achieve this, the Minister immediately set up a Committee on Affordable Housing Design and tasked its members to develop a minimum of three different housing concepts that an average Nigerian can afford.  He directed that the conceptual designs should be organic. This means a family can start with a one bedroom and as their incomes increase expand that same house to a two bedroom or three bedrooms over time on the same parcel of land by attaching one or two walls as the case may be.   Arc. Dangiwa further clarified that an affordable house that is reasonable priced and within the financial means of individuals and families with lower incomes. He said that such a house should not cost more than 30% of a household's income. This includes rent or mortgage payments, as well as utilities and maintenance costs. This puts the preferred cost of a house that an average Nigerian can afford at within the range of N4 to N7million.   The Honorable Minister also assigned the Urban and Regional Planning Directorate the task of collaborating with the National Assembly to formulate an actionable framework for initiating the review of the Land Use Act of 1978 as it is crucial for facilitating affordable housing delivery. The Minister noted that the Land Use Act contains outdated provisions and no longer fully serves its original purpose due to the passage of time.   All directives have been provided with specific timelines to ensure effective and efficient implementation. ...