FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HOUSING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Abuja, 30 April 2025 – The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (FMHUD) and the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) have agreed to strengthen collaboration and establish a unified standard procedure for licensing developments on the Lagos shoreline.

This decision was reached at a high-level meeting held at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Mabushi, Abuja, between the leadership of both institutions, led by the Honourable Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, and the Managing Director of NIWA, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji.

In his remarks, the Honourable Minister emphasized the urgent need for both institutions to work together as “one government” to eliminate regulatory conflicts, avoid duplication of mandates, and ensure orderly, sustainable urban development—especially in critical areas such as the Lagos shoreline.

“Our operations intersect and are connected,” the Minister noted. “We must act together to bring order by ensuring that our actions follow a clear regulatory framework that respects both the law and our respective institutional mandates.”

To this end, both parties agreed to set up a joint technical committee to define standard procedures and streamline the process for licensing shoreline developments in Lagos. The committee will comprise representatives from FMHUD, NIWA, and other relevant stakeholders. Its terms of reference will include clarifying roles, eliminating overlaps, enabling data sharing, and recommending sustainable, enforceable guidelines for shoreline development.

During the meeting, Arc. Dangiwa reiterated the distinct mandates of each stakeholder involved: the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development as the administrator of land titles on federal shorelines and national urban policy custodian; NIWA as the regulator of inland waterways infrastructure; and the Lagos State Government as the authority on physical planning and development control within its constitutional jurisdiction.

“Our Ministry, the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, is charged with the issuance and administration of land titles on federal shorelines in accordance with the Land (Title Vesting, etc.) Act of 1975, and the broader framework of the Land Use Act. We are also responsible for shaping national urban development policies that promote sustainable, inclusive, and orderly growth. The Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), under the NIWA Act of 2004, is entrusted with the responsibility of regulating inland waterways—including dredging, ferry services, and permits for water-based infrastructure—on declared federal waterways such as the Lagos Lagoon. The Lagos State Government, empowered by the 1999 Constitution and its own planning laws, is responsible for overseeing physical development, building permits, and urban planning within its jurisdiction, including shoreline areas not under direct federal control”, Arc. Dangiwa.

In his own remarks, the Managing Director of NIWA, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, commended the Honourable Minister for his leadership and proactive engagement, describing the meeting as “a significant step toward resolving longstanding institutional overlaps.”

He added, “NIWA is committed to working with the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and other stakeholders to ensure that shoreline developments, especially in Lagos, are carried out in a safe, lawful, and environmentally responsible manner. We welcome the creation of this joint committee and look forward to developing a seamless, coordinated framework for the benefit of the Nigerian people.”

The meeting marks a continuation of earlier engagements between both institutions and signals a renewed commitment to inter-agency cooperation in the interest of sustainable urban development and the delivery of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Aug

2024

Dangiwa Caps One Year of Stellar Performance with Historic Housing Advisory and Development Partnership with Shelter Afrique Development Bank The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and leading Pan-African housing finance institution, Shelter Afrique Development Bank (ShafDB) yesterday signed a historic Joint Expression of Intent to partner towards the actualization of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration for housing and urban development. The groundbreaking partnership represents the Ministry's first direct collaboration with a multilateral institution to build homes for Nigerians under the Ministry’s Renewed Hope Housing Programme. Under the framework, Shelter Afrique Development will provide advisory services and financing to competent developers, with an initial goal of delivering 5,000 housing units in the pilot phase. This was a key highlight at the Ministerial Briefing to mark the one-year anniversary of the Hon. Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa and the Hon. Minister of State, HE Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo which held at the NAF Conference Center in Abuja, Thursday 22nd August 2024. Arc. Dangiwa noted that the collaboration with Shelter Afrique Development aligns with the Ministry's strategy of leveraging bi-lateral and multi-lateral housing development financial institutions to expand access to decent and affordable housing to Nigerians given the limited budgetary allocation versus the quantum of resources needed to tackle Nigeria's housing deficit. "There is a massive and historic mismatch between the housing and urban development needs of our country versus budgetary provision. From research, Nigeria's population of over 220million with a growth rate of 2.5% p.a. requires about 550,000 units p.a. over the next ten years to meet the housing deficit. Conservatively this would require about N5.5trillion Per Annum to fix. This requires a more expansive and innovative housing finance approach and the partnership Shelter Afrique Development Bank at this stage of its transformation is a key step in this direction. We thank the Managing Director, Mr. Thierno Hann for his leadership and look forward to finalizing and getting the projects off the ground", he said. Key aspect of the partnership framework includes ShafDB providing advisory services to the Ministry to structure affordable, solvent, ecological, and sustainable housing projects in major cities, as well as assisting the Ministry in raising funds for: 1. Development of Nigeria's Housing and Urban Development Partnership Strategy (CHUPS) by supporting the Ministry in conducting a comprehensive assessment of the housing sector market integration in Nigeria. This will be achieved through the implementation of Shelter Afrique's "VIRAL" model, aimed at expanding the availability of large-scale, affordable. 2. Structuring of PPP transaction: Shelter Afrique will provide advisory services to assist the Ministry in developing a market-attractive public-private partnership (PPP) transaction model for large-scale affordable housing programs and urban renewal projects. This model will target a minimum of 5,000 affordable and quality housing units, with the potential for nationwide replication. 3. Identification and selection of Private Partner Participants: Shelter Afrique will provide advisory services to assist the Ministry in identifying and selecting one or more strategic private sector partners (PSPs) with demonstrated expertise in the development, financing, construction, marketing, and maintenance of the PPP project. 4. Capacity Building: Shelter Afrique will provide advisory services to the Ministry through training programs, workshop seminars, policy development, and technical assistance to ensure the strengthening of the institutions' capacity and capabilities to address housing challenges and promote sustainable urban development across Nigeria. In his response, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of ShafDB, Mr. Thierno Habib Hann stated that the event indicates the Bank's readiness to support Nigeria's housing development goals. "This development represents a landmark and historic milestone in Shelter Afrique Development Bank's partnership with Nigeria for advisory services and financing of developers towards the construction of 5,000 affordable units to support the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Ministry for housing and urban development. This is the first time in the history of the Ministry that we will be signing a framework for partnership. It is these kinds of partnerships that the Bank was set", he noted while commending Arc. Dangiwa for his proactive and progressive approach to leadership that made it possible. Reflecting on a year of accomplishments, the Hon Minister Dangiwa outlined key achievements in advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda, including increasing stock of affordable under the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme with groundbreaking for 6,612 housing units nationwide, launch of an online housing portal to ease homeownership, expansion of the Ministry's Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrade Programme with projects in over 26 sites nationwide, fast tracking sale and occupation of the housing units under the National Housing Programme. The construction of 6,612 housing units has already created jobs for an estimated 165,000 skilled and unskilled workers, with future plans to deliver 50,000 units expected to provide employment for 1.25 million Nigerians. Arc. Dangiwa also noted that work is at an advanced stage on several other initiatives. This includes plans to establish the National Social Housing Fund (NSHF) to cater to the housing needs of low, no income and vulnerable Nigerians, partnership with the World Bank towards the implementation of a National Land Titling Programme to increase land formalization and unlock the potential of land as an economic resource for the government and Nigerians. On plans for the new year, Arc. Dangiwa said that he was optimistic that more progress would be made towards actualizing the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President for the sector. "As we move into the new year, I am hopeful that we will maintain the tempo of our activities and record more milestones towards actualizing the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for Housing and Urban Development. We plan to do groundbreaking for 2, 000 housing unit Renewed Hope Cities in Lagos, and 1,500 housing unit Renewed City in Kano through PPP and FMBN next month. We have also acquired land in Enugu and Borno where we plan to build a 2,000 housing unit Renewed Hope City in each location under a PPP arrangement. Other planned locations for the Cities include Nasarawa (2,000 units) and Rivers (2000 units). Overall, the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme now has footprints in the FCT and 12 states. Remaining 18 States. We are currently engaging the National Assembly and Stakeholders towards 2024 Supplementary budgetary provision to enable us kickstart the projects in those 18 remaining States. Most of them have already provided us with unencumbered land at no cost". The Hon. Minister expressed gratitude to the National Assembly, particularly the Senate and House Committees on Housing and Urban Development, for their continued support, as well as to the Ministry's agencies, staff, and members of the media. ...

Aug

2024

FG Partners Shelter Afrique Development Bank on Housing Development * Partnership will support the Renewed Hope Agenda with funds for 5000 housing units - Dangiwa The Federal Government through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has signed a letter of intent for collaboration with Shelter Afrique Development Bank (ShafDB) for development of housing in Nigeria. Housing Minister, Arc Ahmed Musa Dangiwa signed the agreement on behalf of the federal government, while Mr Thierno Habib-Hann, the Managing Director ShafDB signed on behalf of the bank. The signing of the intent was the focus of the ministerial press briefing marking the one year anniversary in office of the Minister and Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, at NAF Conference Center, Abuja. Minister Dangiwa disclosed that Nigeria's population of over 225 million with a growth rate of 2.5 percent per annum requires about 550,000 housing units over the next 10 years to meet the housing deficit and inorder to meet up with this, N5.5 trillion per annum will be required. " Government can not provide all the funds needed to meet up with the housing demands, Hence, the need to sign a Housing Development Partnership with the Shelter Afrique Development. Under this partnership, the Pan-African housing institution will support the Renewed Hope Agenda with funds that will cater for about five thousand housing units" he stated In his remarks, the MD Shelter Afrique Development Bank, Habib-Hann said that " the MoU represents a landmark and historic milestone in Shelter Afrique Development Bank’s partnership with Nigeria for advisory services and financing of developers towards the construction of 5,000 affordable units to support the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Ministry for housing and urban development" Highlights of the Press briefing was the presentation of notable accomplishments of the ministry of housing and urban development under the Renewed Hope Housing Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and also showcasing the ministry's commitment in transforming the Nigeria housing sector. Some of the notable accomplishments include: expansion and implementation of the National Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrade Programme to improve liveabllity in urban areas and slums, increasing the stock of decent and affordable housing units in the country to meet rising demand, and establishing a National Housing Data Center, amongst others. On the achievements, Dangiwa said " We have made substantial progress in increasing the stock of affordable and decent housing stock for Nigerians with the groundbreaking for 6,612 housing units across 13 locations nationwide under the Ministry’s Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme" He explained that, construction is ongoing at all these project sites with three months completion period, adding that, the houses were evenly distributed with two states in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country, and also cutting across all party lines as the only criteria being States that provided free and unencumbered land first. The occassion of the Ministerial press briefing was graced with the presence of relevant housing sector committies of the National Assembly, namely; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Urban and Regional Development, Hon.Abiante Awaji-Inimbek Dagomie and his counterpart of the Committee on Housing and Habitat, Hon.Abdulmumin Jubril. Others who graced the occassion were the Managing Director Shelter Afrique Development Bank, Mr. Thierno Habib Hann, MD FederalMortgageBankofNigeria, Shehu Usman Osidi, MD Federal Housing Authority, Hon Oyetunji Ojo and various representatives of professional and regulatory bodies in the housing industry. ...

Aug

2024

Dangiwa Inaugurates National Housing Data Committee * Says fixing Nigeria's housing data problem, a top priority. Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has inaugurated a 13- member Steering Committee on the National Housing Data Centre in Nigeria, Tuesday, August 20th, 2024. Speaking at the inauguration, Arc.Dangiwa stated that fixing Nigeria's housing data problem is a top priority under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He explained that the housing sector lack credible, scientific and verifiable data, that needs to be fixed, saying that without data the magnitude of the housing problem will not be known. " Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for housing and urban development, fixing Nigeria’s housing data problem is a top priority. As the lead driver of Mr. President's vision in the sector, we are committed to working with all stakeholders to tackle this problem" Dangiwa stated. The Minister also explained that decent and affordable housing is a catalyst for economic development, creates jobs and alleviate poverty as no nation strive effectively or enjoy peace and stability without having housing market that works efficiently and provides decent shelter for it's citizens. Dangiwa, among others listed some key deliverables of the Housing Data Committee to include; development of the framework and modalities for setting up the National Housing Data Centre (NHDC); creating a framework for data gathering channels from the public and private Institutions and designing a framework for distributing housing data to Institutional and retail investors in the Nigerian financial market. Other deliverables of the Committee also are; development of framework for data distribution to all participants in the housing market; establishment of the framework and timelines for setting up a mortgage exchange, and formulation of a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy. The Minister urged the Committee to deliver the mandate within the time frame of twelve months with dedication and commitment. Responding, the Co- Chair of the Committee, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), Kehinde Ogundimu, expressed satisfaction with the initiative and thanked the Minister for the opportunity given to them to serve in that capacity. Mr Ogundimu assured the minister of the commitment of the commitee members to do their best to deliver the assignment in order to achieve the national goal within the time frame. Membership of the Housing Data Joint Steering Committee includes representatives from: Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (Chair), National Population Commission, National Bureau of Statistics, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Federal Housing Authority, Family Homes Funds Limited, Mortgage Bankers Association of Nigeria, Housing Development Association of Nigeria, Real Estate Developers’ Association of Nigeria, and Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria ...

MANDATE STATEMENT:

To formulate and implement the policies,
programmes and projects of the Federal Government of
Nigeria (FGN) with respect to:Habitat and affordable
housing for Nigerians and Driving economic diversity
growth and development through continuous and
incremental provision of affordable housing across
the country and to focus on the key areas
of deliverables set for it.

SPEECHES

Nov

2023

SPEECH BY THE DIRECTOR, PLANNING, RESEARCH AND STATISTICS, FEDERAL MINSTRY OF WORKS AND HOUSING, MR. KOLAPO RAHEEM, AT THE TECHNICAL SESSION OF THE 12TH MEETING OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON LANDS, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, HELD AT UMARU MUSA YAR’DUA CONFERENCE CENTRE, KADUNA, KADUNA STATE FROM MONDAY, 13TH TO FRIDAY, 17TH NOVEMBER, 2023

PROTOCOLS

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 12th Meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development holding in Kaduna, Kaduna State with the theme, “Harnessing Local and International Credit Scheme as a Panacea for Housing Infrastructure Development under the Renewed Hope Mantra.”

2. The theme of this year’s Meeting, no doubt was chosen in consideration of the dire need to galvanize domestic and foreign fund towards meeting the nation’s Housing challenges and enhancement of the country’s overall economic growth and development.

3. As you are aware, the Council Meeting commences with a 2- day Technical Session of the Directors, Heads of Agencies and Professional Bodies in the built industry, where memoranda submitted by stakeholders are summarized for consideration by the Permanent Secretaries on the 3rd day being 15th November, 2023. The Permanent Secretaries’ summations are thereafter presented to the main Council at its meeting on Thursday, 16th November, 2023 for final consideration and approval.

4. Distinguished delegates and officials, in the spirit of the present Administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda on all sectors of the economy, an in particular the Housing and Urban Development sub sectors, I urge you to explicate your professionalism in the course of deliberations to guide policy formulation that will facilitate affordable housing delivery for all.

5. Finally, I wish to express my appreciations to the Governor of Kaduna State, His Excellency, Senator Uba Sani for the support of Kaduna State Government, the Honourable Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Architect Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, Honourable Minister of State for Housing, Engr. Abdullahi T. Gwarzo, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Alh. M. Mamman, for providing the enabling environment for the success of this meeting. I also express my gratitude to all Directors, Kaduna State Local Organising Committee and the entire Staff of the Ministry whose collective efforts have made this meeting possible.

6. Once again, I welcome you all and wish you fruitful deliberations.

7. Thank you.

Nov

2023

WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE HON. MINISTER OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, ARC. AHMED DANGIWA, DURING A MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL TECHNICAL COMMITTEE ON LAND REFORMS AT THE MINISTRY’S HEAD OFFICE IN ABUJA ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Protocols:
1.   It is my pleasure to welcome the Chairman of the Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reform, Prof. Peter O. Adeniyi, and other distinguished members of the Committee to this very important meeting.
2.   We initiated the engagement with the Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reforms that has led to today’s meeting as part of our stakeholder engagements towards ensuring that we avail ourselves of all relevant knowledge, resources, and inputs from efforts made by previous governments over time to fix the challenges with land administration in our country.
3.   This is because we acknowledge that past governments set up teams, committees, and working groups and land administration comprising industry experts and stakeholders. These have produced several blueprints for solving this problem, with the only thing lacking being the political will to get the job done, by following through and implementing the recommendations.
4.   Under the leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, we now have that political will, and at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, we are committed to ensuring that we use it optimally to break the jinx of land administration in our country.
5.   As you are all aware, the review of the Land Use Act 1973 is a top priority under the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President for Housing and Urban Development. This is because land is the foundation of the housing delivery process, requiring governing laws that ensure its availability, accessibility, efficient use, transferability, and convertibility.
6.   Currently, key Statistics on Nigeria’s Land Administration show that:
a.   Nigeria ranks 186th out of 190 countries on the World Bank Ease of Doing Business index in terms of ease of registering properties.
b.   The land administration system across several metrics includes an average of 12 procedures and 92 days to register landed properties, costing up to 11% of the property value.
c.   Nigeria has a score of 8 out of 30 in terms of the quality of land administration. About 97% of land is unregistered but traded regularly.
d.   According to PWC, Nigeria has $300bn in dead capital. This means that streamlining land administration will unlock the potential of land as an economic resource and a catalyst for economic growth, helping to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.
7.   We understand and believe that your Committee has done extensive work on the review of the Land Use Act and come up with several recommendations. That is why we requested that you come and brief us so that we are properly guided in our strategy to actualize Mr. President’s goal to fix this long-standing issue.
8.   Once again, I welcome you all, and I look forward to a fruitful meeting.