General
Nigeria’s Housing Sector in Complete Crisis—UN
**Proposes Taxes on Vacant Houses
**Economic Inequality at Extreme Levels
By Adedapo Adesanya
Imposing taxes on vacant houses might go a long way in alleviating the terrible housing challenges faced by Nigerians, this is the standpoint held by Ms Leilana Farha, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to adequate housing.
Ms Farha made this known on Monday in the nation’s capital, Abuja, while presenting her report at the end of a 10-day fact finding visit to the country.
She expressed concern over the human rights crisis presented by the inhumane living conditions in Nigeria’s informal settlement, which houses 69 percent of the urban population.
Ms Farha noted that Nigeria’s housing sector was in a complete crisis and existing programmes have not been able to address the ever-growing housing need.
She said, “Most residents in Nigeria’s ballooning informal settlement live without access to even the most basic services like running water and they lack any security of tenure forcing them to live in constant fear of being evicted.
“I was shocked to see that the communities most in need of protection and assistance by the state are instead persecuted, harassed, extorted and even arrested and jailed without having ever committed a crime.”
She noted that economic inequality in Nigeria has reached extreme levels and is playing itself out clearly in the housing sector.
The UN Rapporteur pointed out that Nigeria has estimated housing shortage of 22 million units while newly built luxury dwellings are springing up throughout cities – made possible often through the forced eviction of poor communities.
She added, “Nigeria’s housing sector is in a complete crisis. There is no current national housing action plan or strategy. Coordination and communication between federal and state governments seems lacking.”
Speaking on the rent control bill that failed in the national assembly, the UN official said the bill died because it wasn’t ripe.
“The idea of controlling rent caps is hotly debated in many countries. New York just tried to have rent control laws passed; Barcelona is close to getting rent-free as rent is actually frozen for some period of five to seven years.
“So, in many jurisdictions, they have started to impose vacant home tax.
“I support that kind of move from a human rights point of view only where that money from the tax is directly put into the creation of affordable housing.
“In the case of Nigeria, it could be used as a fund to upgrade informal settlements,” Ms Farha stated.
She then urged the government to address the grossly inadequate housing conditions with the urgency and rigour befitting a human rights crisis of this scale.
“A national-level moratorium on forced evictions should be declared by the Federal Government, until adequate legal and procedural safeguards are in place to ensure that all evictions are compliant with international human rights law.”
Ms Farha will present a comprehensive report of her visit to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2020.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria will hold next year’s presidential and National Assembly elections a month earlier than planned, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) revised the polling schedule.
The elections will be held on January 16, instead of the previously announced date of February 20, INEC said in an X post, signed by Mr Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.
There were also changes to the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections initially fixed for Saturday, March 6 2027, in line with the Electoral Act, 2022, have now been moved to Saturday, February 6, 2027.
The electoral commission said the changes were caused by the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026 and the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022, which introduced adjustments to statutory timelines governing pre-election and electoral activities.
“The Commission reviewed and realigned the schedule to ensure compliance with the new legal framework,” it said.
INEC said party primaries (including resolution of disputes) will commence on April 23, 2026 and end on May 30, 2026, after which Presidential and National Assembly campaigns will begin on August 19, 2026, while Governorship and State Houses of Assembly campaigns will begin on September 9, 2026.
It noted that campaigns will end 24 hours before Election Day, and political parties have been advised to strictly adhere to the timelines.
INEC also stated it will enforce compliance with the law.
The electoral body also rescheduled the Osun Governorship election which was earlier scheduled for Saturday, August 8 2026, by a week to Saturday, August 15, 2026.
INEC noted that some activities regarding the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections have already been conducted, and the remaining activities will be implemented in accordance with the Electoral Act, 2026.
Speaking at a news briefing in Abuja two weeks ago, the chairman of INEC, Mr Joash Amupitan, expressed the readiness of the commission to conduct the polls next year.
The timetable issued by the organisation for the polls at the time came when the federal parliament had yet to transmit the amended electoral bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Later that week, the Senate passed the electoral bill, reducing the notice of elections from 360 days to 180 days, while the transmission of results was mandated with a proviso.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has pledged its commitment to provide the regulatory leadership, technical coordination, and stakeholder engagement required to successfully develop and implement a robust National Action Plan on maritime decarbonization in Nigeria.
The Director General of the agency, Mr Dayo Mobereola, made this known during the National Stakeholders’ workshop on the development of a National Maritime Decarbonization Action Plan, further describing the workshop as a critical step in actualising the Federal Government’s blue economy and climate objectives.
Represented by the Executive Director, Operations, Mr Fatai Taiye Adeyemi, the NIMASA DG underscored the significance of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, a technical cooperation initiative /designed to support developing countries in implementing the IMO GHG Strategy.
According to him, the National Action Plan being developed will reflect national realities, leverage existing capacities, address identified gaps, and align with broader economic and environmental priorities of the federal government.
Mr Mobereola stressed that “this transition is not merely about compliance with international obligations, it is about safeguarding our marine environment, protecting public health, strengthening the blue economy, and ensuring that our maritime industry remains competitive and future-ready”, the DG said.
Also speaking at the event was the Technical Manager of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, Ms Astrid Dispert, who highlighted that the overarching objective of the initiative is to advance a coherent and globally aligned regulatory framework to accelerate maritime decarbonization.
She also emphasised that NIMASA plays a pivotal role in driving the project at the national level.
The IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project provides technical expertise and institutional support to assist countries in developing and implementing National Action Plans that promote sustainable shipping practices, encourage investment in clean technologies, and strengthen capacity for long-term emissions reduction.
Through this collaboration, the federal government is advancing deliberate steps towards maritime decarbonization, reinforcing its commitment to global climate goals and ensuring a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future for the sector.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to comply with its digital submission process effective March 1.
The directive was contained in a circular signed by the Director-General of the Bureau, Mr Adebowale Adedokun, noting that the move was part of the bureau’s commitment to digital transformation and paperless governance.
It explained that the transition followed an earlier circular of Aug. 4, 2025, which introduced electronic submission procedures.
According to the bureau, it has successfully moved from physical filings to a dedicated e-mail service for document submissions and is now advancing to a more robust and integrated system.
The circular announced the inauguration of the BPP Digital Submission Portal, a web-based platform designed to enable MDAs submit procurement-related documents directly to the Bureau.
It stated that the automated platform would streamline the submission process, enhance transparency and ensure accelerated tracking of procurement-related documents and petitions.
“With effect from March 1, all MDAs will be required to use the portal to submit requests for ‘No Objection’ Certificates, approvals for ‘No Objection’ for special procurements, clarifications and status updates on submissions,” the bureau said.
It added that the portal would be hosted on the Bureau’s official website and would become fully operational from the effective date.
The bureau warned that physical submissions or manual hand-deliveries would no longer be prioritised and would eventually be rejected following the full transition to the digital platform.
It urged accounting officers to brief their procurement departments and ICT units on the development to ensure seamless processing of procurement activities from March 1.
It further advised MDAs to contact the Bureau via its official email for information on the onboarding process and integration into the portal.
The bureau emphasised that full compliance by all MDAs was required to ensure a smooth transition and avoid delays in the implementation of the 2026 fiscal year procurement processes.
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