KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE HON. MINISTER OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT AT THE MINISTRY’S 2025 SECTOR RETREAT, HELD AT RADISSON BLU HOTEL, IKEJA, LAGOS, ON WEDNESDAY, 19TH FEBRUARY 2025.

 

Protocols

 

1. This is the first Housing and Urban Development Sector Retreat we are holding as a Ministry since assuming office about seventeen (17) months ago. It could not have come at a better time, as we are just about to enter another budget year following the recent passage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill by the National Assembly.

 

2. This Retreat is also special due to the participation of the Distinguished Chairmen and Members of the National Assembly Committees that oversee our Ministry. We are also joined by several other critical housing sector stakeholders, including Chairmen and members of the Reform Task Teams we set up, who have done excellent work, as well as professionals from the private sector.

 

3. Together, we have gathered here a distinguished pool of personalities to brainstorm, interact, and share knowledge, ideas, and insights on how to actualize the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

 

4. Before I proceed, I want to take a moment to specially appreciate the Chairmen and Distinguished Members of the National Assembly. When the Budget Office presented their budget, the Ministry initially received a significant reduction from the amount provided in 2024.

 

5. We engaged with the National Assembly Committees, and they intervened to increase our budget by an additional N50 billion. They deserve a big round of applause from us all on behalf of Nigerians. What they have done is not for us as individuals but for the many Nigerians who will benefit from the Ministry’s interventions, the additional jobs that will be created, the businesses and individuals that will be empowered through our increased capacity to offset inherited liabilities, and the positive impact on the economy.

 

6. While we are deeply grateful for this increase, like Oliver Twist, we would like to ask for more. If you recall, we had made a strong case for an additional N360 billion to enable us to expand the coverage and spread of Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Estates to 18 more states, expand our urban renewal program to cover over 100 more sites and to take care of liabilities alongside others.

 

7. The N50 billion is a good start. We will continue to engage with our National Assembly stakeholders, whom we hold in the highest esteem, as well as the Budget Office. In fact, I have set up a Stakeholders Management Team, led by the Hon. Minister of State and the Permanent Secretary, in whom I am well pleased, to ensure that we are proactive in carrying critical stakeholders along in all our activities.

 

8. What I have been advocating for, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, is that as a country and a government, we must prioritize housing as a catalyst for economic growth. Investment in housing and urban development is not only a moral necessity but also an economic imperative. When we provide people with decent homes and build livable communities, we are not only improving their quality of life, making them proud and patriotic Nigerians, but we are also developing the economy and ensuring national security.

 

9. Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, Mr. President listed housing as critical infrastructure, in the same category as roads, bridges, and others. What we are engaging with relevant ministries and stakeholders in government to correct is the continuing mismatch between the required interventions in housing and the budgetary allocation. It is a great irony that housing still receives only a fraction of what is allocated to other similar infrastructure sectors despite its massive potential as a catalyst for economic growth.

 

10. As stakeholders, you would agree that there have been several attempts by previous administrations over the past 50 years to fix Nigeria’s housing problems.

 

11. If you look at the state of the housing sector today, you will see that the results are not encouraging. We have a huge housing deficit, with the majority of Nigeria’s 43 million households living in substandard housing. Additionally, the majority of our cities are surrounded by slums.

 

12. Our sector is one that has suffered political neglect since the period immediately after independence, when emphasis was placed on five-yearly Development Plans as the vehicle for economic growth.

 

13. Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, we are determined to make a difference. We are optimistic and encouraged by the possibilities that the future holds, rather than the failures of the past. Just because programs failed in the past does not mean they will fail today.

 

14. As you all know, leaders matter in the history of nation-building, and what they bring to the table also matters. That is what Mr. President represents, and we intend to replicate his CAN-DO SPIRIT at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, together with all stakeholders, to rewrite the history of housing and urban development.

 

15. We want the Renewed Hope Era for Housing to be the reference point for generations to come for massive and comprehensive housing and urban development.

 

16. We deliberately chose “Actualizing the Renewed Hope Agenda for Housing and Urban Development” as the theme of this Retreat. At this Retreat, we aim to review what we have done so far toward actualizing Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Housing and Urban Development, interrogate our challenges and successes, explore opportunities, and set out a clear pathway to ramp up the tempo of our activities.

 

17. For the sake of establishing immediate context, it is important that I lay out the Action Plan which Mr. President handed to us when we assumed duty. This includes:

 

1. Increasing the supply and availability of decent and affordable housing to Nigerians.

 

2. Implementing land reforms to improve land administration, thereby unlocking the capacity of the real estate sector to contribute to economic growth and grow the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

 

3. Reforming federal housing institutions, including the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), to better deliver on their mandates.

 

4. Establishing a National Social Housing Fund (NSHF) to mobilize and administer concessionary funding for the provision of decent shelter for no-income, low-income, underprivileged, and internally displaced Nigerians.

 

5. Establishing Manufacturing Hubs—one in each of the six geo-political zones of the country.

 

6. Implementing a Multi-Agency Project Delivery Framework to ensure proper coordination among all housing institutions in the delivery of housing, ensuring alignment along the same focus.

 

7. Expanding the National Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrade Program.

 

18. The question I ask myself is how much progress we have made toward achieving these goals. If history were our reference point, we would say that we are doing well. The biggest achievement of the eight years before we came on board was the National Housing Programme, which started in 2016 with plans to build 7,522 housing units. Over the eight years, only 3,388 were completed.

 

19. On our part, within 17 months, we have 14 active construction sites for a total of 10,112 housing units. With the pace of work at these sites—many already at roofing levels—we are on course to have all these units and more completed within a maximum three-year period.

 

20. However, history is not our reference point. The size of the housing problem, which requires us to build at least 500,000 housing units annually, is what we have set our eyes on. On this front, we are not even scratching the surface.

 

21. Regarding the Ministerial Deliverable of increasing the supply of at least 20,000 housing units annually, which is our immediate target, we can say that with 10,112 housing units under construction in 14 locations nationwide, we are making progress.

 

22. Another area where we are making good progress is in reforming the land administration system in our country. This is a longstanding problem that has been listed in all policies and whitepapers on housing since independence over 50 years ago. The aim is to develop an effective land administration system to make land ownership available, secure, accessible, and easily transferable at affordable rates.

 

23. First, we set up a Land Reform Task Team, which has submitted a comprehensive blueprint on strategies and initiatives that the Ministry can implement to achieve effective governance of lands in our country. This is a subject of deliberation at this Summit.

 

24. Second, we are currently working with the World Bank, in partnership with state governments, toward the implementation of a National Land Registration and Titling Programme. The plan is to increase the formalization of land transactions in the country by 50% over a ten-year period. This would unlock over $150 billion in dead capital and help increase Nigeria’s GDP by 30%. The World Bank was here on the first Technical Mission in November last year and is scheduled to return for the second mission in early March.

 

25. On institutional reforms, the establishment of a National Social Housing Fund, and Building Materials Manufacturing Hubs, we have received the reports of the Task Teams, reviewed their recommendations internally, and are clear on the next steps. These positions will also be presented here at the Retreat for additional inputs from stakeholders.

 

26. Additionally, we have upscaled and expanded our National Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrade Programme in line with the urban development component of our mandate. We currently have over 100 projects completed in several locations nationwide to improve the livability of Nigerians in semi-urban, rural areas, and villages.

 

27. 2025 will be an ACTION YEAR for us at the Ministry. We aim to move with speed to get all these reforms off the ground. However, this is only possible with your support and input. WE HAVE A BIG HOUSING PROBLEM, AND WE INTEND TO APPROACH FIXING IT IN A BIG WAY. SMALL EFFORTS WILL NOT TAKE US ANYWHERE.

 

28. We are fully aware that a key part of the Ministry’s mandate is policy formulation. In this direction, we have also made notable progress. The Ministry worked with UN-Habitat to produce a National Urban Development Policy, which is pending presentation and approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

 

29. The Policy outlines a framework for coordinating a 10-year program of action for sustainable urbanization in our country. Through this, we aim to domesticate and customize the goals of signed international policies, operationalize national policies in multiple sectors, and create cities that work for all residents.

 

30. The NUDP is prepared with the objective of harnessing well-managed urbanization as an engine of growth for the national economy.

 

31. We have also exhaustively studied the National Housing Strategy Report 2023, which was launched by my predecessor. I must acknowledge that the team that developed it, in liaison with FMDQs, PWC, and several other members from the Ministry and the industry, did a thorough job. It is a well-researched, Ministry-sponsored research and strategy paper on housing. However, because most of the data used was from 2019, and so much has changed within the macroeconomic environment, especially in the last three years, we are looking to review and update it.

 

32. Furthermore, we are working to create a framework for the establishment of a Real Estate Regulatory Authority. I must give credit and acknowledge the tireless efforts and advocacy of the House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Housing and Habitat, Abdulmumin Jibrin, for this initiative. We consider it necessary and are committed to working with the House Committee and all stakeholders to actualize it.

 

33. We have also taken note and are working on ways and strategies to ensure that Nigerians use properties only as designated in city plans. This is also a key point of concern for the Hon. Chairman, House Committee on Urban Development, Hon. Abiante. We shall be engaging with the Committee to actualize this as well.

 

34. In conclusion, distinguished guests and stakeholders, this retreat marks a pivotal moment in our collective journey to transform Nigeria’s housing and urban development landscape.

 

35. The discussions, insights, and collaborations we will foster here over the next two days reaffirm our shared commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. As we discuss, engage, and share ideas at this retreat, let us carry with us the spirit of urgency, innovation, and collaboration. Let us remember that housing is not just a roof over one’s head; it is a foundation for economic growth, social stability, and national pride. Together, we have the power to rewrite the narrative of housing and urban development in Nigeria.

 

36. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. God bless you all.

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