The Federal Government has inaugurated a Joint Steering Committee on National Housing Data to develop framework and modalities to collate housing data in the country
At the inauguration in Abuja, The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Ahmed Dangiwa said the absence of reliable data to address challenges faced in the housing sector was an embarrassment, and charged the committee to deliver on its mandate within the next six months.
“For instance, we know we have a housing deficit and that we face the dual challenge of inadequate housing supply to meet population growth, coupled with substandard housing that does not meet the conditions of Habitability, Safety & Security, Comfort, Sanitation, Accessibility, Infrastructure, Social Amenities, and Socio-Cultural Adequacy as set out by the UN and the World Health Organization (WHO).
“But there is no industry-accepted data to illustrate this and guide the government, housing agencies, and financial institutions—both local and international—in planning and outlining strategies to fix Nigeria’s housing problem. What we have had over the decades are speculations and estimates.
At the Ministry, we consider this a national emergency for the housing sector, and as a government, we cannot allow it to continue” Dangiwa stated.
The co-chairman of the Committee, Mr. Kehinde Ogundimu estimated that there were about sixty-six million houses nationwide, however, efforts were ongoing to gather all the materials needed for a reliable data.
The committee is comprised of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, National Population Commission, National Bureau of Statistics and Central Bank of Nigeria amongst others.
RN
