By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has disclosed its plans to build 34,500 houses across the country in a move aimed at addressing the housing shortage in the country.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, stated this when the Governor of Taraba State, Mr Agbu Kefas, paid a courtesy visit to the Ministry, in Abuja.
Mr Dangiwa mentioned that the first phase of the Renewed Hope Cities Project would be carried out via a combination of the Federal Mortgage Bank, Federal Housing Authority, and Private-Public Partnerships (PPP).
“With this project alone, we aim to create over 240,000 jobs at 7 per housing unit. This is in line with Mr President’s goal to create jobs, lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty, and grow the economy.
“In doing this, the government was building for the 80% of Nigerians who fall within the non-income, low-income, and medium-income brackets. We are focusing on affordability but without compromising quality,” the Minister stated.
He also said that the Ministry was collaborating with the National Population Commission (NPC) to determine the actual housing deficit in the country as the country moved to cover the shortfall of 55,000 new houses per annum.
“Our in-house estimates show that for us to meet the housing needs of Nigerians, we need to build about 550,000 new homes per annum over the next ten years,” he added.
Mr Dangiwa also disclosed that the Ministry had communicated with state governors, requesting approximately 50 hectares of land at no cost for Renewed Hope Cities. According to him, this approach would enable the Ministry to offer the houses at a price that Nigerians could afford.
He also announced that plans are in motion to revise the Land Use Act of 1978 to streamline land administration and facilitate access to land, making it a more efficient, rapid, and cost-effective process with the enactment and adoption of the model mortgage foreclosure law that establishes mortgage registries.
Aduragbemi Omiyale 
Modupe Gbadeyanka