The Federal Government has inaugurated a Joint Steering Committee on the National Housing Data Centre to develop and implement a blueprint to ensure transparency and ease of access to housing data in Nigeria.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, at the inauguration on Tuesday in Abuja, said the centre would be essential for policy and decision-making towards affordable housing and the well-being of Nigerians.
“This is because, without data, we cannot know the magnitude of the problem we are facing, how many resources we need to allocate, for how long, which areas to focus on, which markets to prioritise and other considerations.
“In fact, we would be flying blind. This is not sustainable. For instance, we know we have a housing deficit and that we face the dual challenge of inadequate housing supply to meet population growth.
“This is 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 Organisation (WHO).’’
Ahmed however, said that there was no industry-accepted data to illustrate 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.
“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for housing and urban development, fixing Nigeria’s housing data problem is a top priority.
“It is against this background that we are inaugurating the Joint Steering Committee on National Housing Data.”
Ahmed said key deliverables of the Committee would be to develop the framework and modalities for setting up the National Housing Data Centre (NHDC).
Membership of the Committee included representatives from Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to serve as the Chair.
Other members included:National Population Commission,National Bureau of Statistics, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company and Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.
Others are, 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.
Responding, Mr Kehinde Ogundimu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), pledged the commitment of the committee to delivering on the mandate.
“We will work together and put forth something that will be credible, reliable, and that people can use to make informed decisions.”
