The Federal Government and state governments have been urged to strengthen mortgage financing and land administration systems to improve access to affordable housing across Nigeria, amid a housing deficit estimated at over 14.5 million units.
The Sokoto State Commissioner for Lands, Housing, Survey and Country Planning, Barrister Nasiru Aliyu Dantsoho, made the call at the 15th meeting of the National Council on Land, Housing and Urban Development (NCLHUD), which began in Sokoto on Monday.
Dantsoho advocated reducing mortgage interest rates from the current double-digit levels to single digits and extending repayment periods from 25 to 35 years to make homeownership more affordable for Nigerians.
He also called for the expansion of mortgage financing to include people in the informal sector, particularly traders, farmers and other self-employed Nigerians who are often excluded from existing housing finance arrangements.
The commissioner urged financial institutions, including the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), to provide adequate funding and introduce flexible repayment plans that reflect the income patterns of different categories of borrowers.
He described Nigeria’s housing situation as worrying, citing estimates that more than 14.5 million housing units were needed and approximately 50.6 million people lived in unsafe housing conditions.
Dantsoho said urgent and sustained interventions were required to address the challenges, stressing that housing policies must promote access to decent and affordable accommodation for all citizens.
The five-day meeting, scheduled to run from October 12 to 16, is themed “Strengthening Mortgage, Land and Institutional Systems for Accelerated and Inclusive Housing Delivery.”
It brings together federal and state government representatives, professionals and regulatory bodies in the built environment to examine challenges in the housing sector and develop policy recommendations for improving housing delivery nationwide.
In his introductory remarks, the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mukhtar Iliyasu Umar, described the council as an important platform for stakeholders to identify challenges and develop practical solutions to the country’s housing and urban development problems.
Umar said the meeting would feature a three-stage deliberation process involving the consideration, harmonisation and adoption of policy recommendations.
He emphasised that the effectiveness of the final decisions would depend on the depth of technical analysis, the quality of recommendations and the success of the harmonisation process.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Sokoto State Ministry of Lands and Housing, Engr. Ahmad Moyi Tambuwal, highlighted the state government’s efforts to improve land administration through the digitisation of land records and reduction in the time required to process Certificates of Occupancy.
He added that the state was providing land for mass housing projects under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Housing Programme.
Tambuwal stressed that affordable housing delivery required more than the construction of houses, noting that efficient land administration, accessible mortgage finance, effective policies and stronger collaboration between government institutions and private-sector stakeholders were equally essential.
He said improved land administration systems would enhance transparency, efficiency and access to land for housing development.
Participants at the meeting were encouraged to develop practical recommendations addressing challenges in land administration, housing finance, institutional coordination and sustainable urban development.
The reports and recommendations from the technical sessions will be harmonised for consideration at subsequent stages of the council meeting.
The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the housing sector and promoting accessible, affordable and inclusive housing for Nigerians.
