Dangiwa Assumes Office, Pledges Bold Vision for Affordable Housing and Urban Development On Monday, August 21, 2023, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa officially assumed office as the Minister for Housing and Urban Development, pledging to realize President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bold vision for housing and urban renewal.   Addressing top ministry officials, heads of agencies, and staff, Arc. Dangiwa underscored the important role of the Ministry in ensuring all Nigerian have access to decent, quality, and affordable housing while fostering livable communities.   To execute this mandate effectively, the Minister said he will prioritize creating an enabling environment to encourage increased private sector participation and investment, along with the formulation of policies that empower agencies supervised by the ministry to optimize their performance according to their designated functions.   "I believe that the responsibility of this Ministry is to create an enabling environment and formulate policies that empower agencies under its supervision to perform their functions optimally. This will be a central focus of my leadership, and I urge you all to work in alignment with this vision," he declared.   Acknowledging the challenges arising from rapid population growth and increasing housing demands, Arc. Dangiwa pledged to seize these challenges as opportunities for growth and progress. He committed to championing strategic housing reforms to dismantle barriers hindering housing and urban development.   Notably, he disclosed plans to work closely with the National Assembly to review relevant laws to streamline land and housing administration and increase investments in the housing sector.   He also said he will prioritize the N500 billion recapitalization of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), to enable the bank offer more affordable mortgage loans and foster homeownership.   The minister also revealed plans to accelerate the reform of the FMBN and the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) so they can have the necessary capacity, and the technological edge to deliver world class services to Nigerians.   He additionally pledged to embrace innovative financing solutions for housing construction and to collaborate with relevant institutions to secure funding for large-scale affordable housing projects nationwide.   The minister said he unveil a comprehensive Strategic Housing and Urban Development Blueprint in the coming days. This blueprint is expected to outline detailed priorities, initiatives, reforms, and plans to reshape the nation's housing landscape. ...

"Think Outside the Box for Solutions to Housing Problems" - Dangiwa Charges Heads of Housing and Urban Development The Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has directed the Heads of Departments within the Ministry to think outside the box and come up with innovative measures and ideas that will help the Ministry achieve its mandate of providing affordable housing, increasing access to land, and ensuring the sustainable development of urban and rural areas and communities nationwide.   Arc. Dangiwa issued this directive on the first day of receiving Detailed Briefings from the Principal Officers of the Ministry. This is part of a broad range of reform actions that he plans to take to ensure that the Ministry is properly re-aligned along the path of enhanced efficiency to enable perform its functions optimally towards delivering greater impact as stated in its mandate.   This includes ensuring that the Ministry, which is mostly staffed by professional Architects and Town Planners, take the lead in researching and developing housing designs that are, in reality, actually affordable, acceptable, and accessible to Nigerians, particularly low and medium-income earners, who constitute over 80% of the Nigerian population. He emphasized that all professionals within the Ministry must take their roles seriously and contribute their quota towards achieving this objective.   “As a Ministry staffed mostly with professional Architects, we must use our knowledge and expertise to produce innovative housing designs that are affordable and livable. We must prioritize the 80% of Nigerians that are within the low to medium income segment. They too are Nigerians and deserve to live in decent, safe, and quality homes” he stated.   To achieve this, the Minister immediately set up a Committee on Affordable Housing Design and tasked its members to develop a minimum of three different housing concepts that an average Nigerian can afford.  He directed that the conceptual designs should be organic. This means a family can start with a one bedroom and as their incomes increase expand that same house to a two bedroom or three bedrooms over time on the same parcel of land by attaching one or two walls as the case may be.   Arc. Dangiwa further clarified that an affordable house that is reasonable priced and within the financial means of individuals and families with lower incomes. He said that such a house should not cost more than 30% of a household's income. This includes rent or mortgage payments, as well as utilities and maintenance costs. This puts the preferred cost of a house that an average Nigerian can afford at within the range of N4 to N7million.   The Honorable Minister also assigned the Urban and Regional Planning Directorate the task of collaborating with the National Assembly to formulate an actionable framework for initiating the review of the Land Use Act of 1978 as it is crucial for facilitating affordable housing delivery. The Minister noted that the Land Use Act contains outdated provisions and no longer fully serves its original purpose due to the passage of time.   All directives have been provided with specific timelines to ensure effective and efficient implementation. ...

President Buhari Commissions National Housing Project in Gusau, Zamfara State President Muhammadu Buhari has commissioned  a 80 housing units in Damba, Gusau, Zamfara state, Monday,  May 22nd, 2023. The President was represented at the occassion by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sa'adia Umar Faruk. He described the completion of the project as an example of the fulfilment of change which his administration promised the people of Nigeria.  Buhari also explained that the desire to improve the human condition of the citizens was responsible for the decision to award the housing contracts to the Micro, Small and Medium size businesses, in order to promote a value chain of opportunities for economic activities, provide employment and improve the conditions of the ordinary citizen. Accordingly, the President stated that through the housing programme his administration has redeemed the promise made by previous administration to the members of the 1994 Super Eagles that won the African Cup of Nations that year.  The Governor of Zamfara State, Dr  Bello  Matawalle  who was represented by the Speaker, Zamfara State House of Assembly, Honourable Nasiru Muazu Magarya, expressed gratitude to President Buhari for initiating and executing the housing project in Zamfara state.  In his address, the Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Raji Fashola, represented by the Director Construction, Department of Public Building and Housing Development,  Architect Bashir Usman disclosed that the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing had delivered similar projects in 35 states of the Federation with the support of state governors. The Minister said that 40 housing units comprising; 2 units of 1 bedroom; 24 units of 2 bedrooms and 14 units of 3 bedroom bungalows were being handed over today, pointing out that the houses were designed after a survey was conducted to ascertain the needs and  type of houses Nigerians desired.  Accordingly, he explained that the survey revealed that there was a prevalent need for bungalows in the Northern part and flats in the southern part of Nigeria. In his welcome address, the Director overseeing the office of the Permanent Secretary, Engr. Folorunso Esan who was represented by the Zonal Director of North West, National Housing Programme, (NHP) Builder Emmanuel Hangerior said the NHP initiative since 1996 has engaged over 1,500 building contractors and over 150,00 and 55,000 direct and indirect jobs had been created respectively.  In a goodwill message His Royal Highness, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed Bello OFR, the Emir of Gusau , thanked President Buhari for bringing the project to his domain ...