By Jude Njoku

DOES Nigeria actually have a housing shortfall of 17 million housing units? This and many other issues are what a National Housing Survey being undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, is expected to unravel.

Mrs Akon Eyakenyi who oversees the affairs of the Ministry, disclosed this last week at her maiden interactive session with Property Editors in Abuja. She explained that the overriding goal of the survey is to establish whether Nigerians are adequately housed or not.
The Minister stated that the survey will also help the government to “establish the actual number of housing deficit in the country instead of relying on forecasts and the quantum of the investment needed to meaningfully address the housing gap as well as the capacity requirements for transforming the housing and urban development sector on a sustainable basis”.

A medium-income estate… lack of mortgage facilities hinder their acquisition

The Minister further explained that the work is being undertaken by a ministerial committee which she heads in conjunction with relevant stakeholders, such as the National Population Commission, NPC, National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, National Planning Commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

“The next step is to develop a project document for undertaking the survey which will be carried out nationwide in collaboration with all relevant internal and external stakeholders. In the short term, a pilot study will be carried out in the Federal Capital Territory, (representing the best housing case scenario) and one other state (that will symbolise the worst housing case scenario) to determine the magnitude of the housing deficit in Nigeria,” Mrs Eyakenyi said.

The Minister also unveiled plans to undertake a national inventory and auditing of Federal lands and landed property across the country. She explained that the objective of the inventory is “to update our date base on the status of all federal lands and landed property in the country in order to free under-utilised lands for housing development and optimise the use of all Federal landed property”.

Other initiatives of the Ministry, according to Mrs Eyakenyi include the development of a roadmap for the housing and urban development sector, the launch of Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company, NMRC to increase mortgage penetration in the country and the revision of the National Building Code.
She disclosed that the draft roadmap for the housing and urban development sector which was developed by the Ministry in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, will be considered for adoption at a Validation Stakeholders Workshop slated for Abuja between the 8th and 9th of September.

The draft roadmap, she said, was reviewed by an enlarged meeting of the Ministerial Expert Group, MEG, which is charged with the responsibility of developing the document.
On the NMRC, Mrs Eyakenyi said the Ministry is collaborating with the Coordinating Minister for the Economy/ Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to ensure effective take-off of the project.

“While the Federal Ministry of Finance through the NMRC is handling the demand side of the provision of 10,000 mortgages for new home owners, the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development is facilitating action on the delivery of 10,000 housing units that the mortgage facility of the NMRC will support,” she said, adding that already 14 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT have made land available for the take-off of the project in their states.

“We are positive that in the next few weeks, we shall secure more unencumbered land for the take-off of the projects in the remaining states of the federation,” she noted.
She enjoined competent developers and builders to participate in the process, adding that all selected developers and builders would be evaluated “under transparent and well-articulated system of eligibility criteria in order to create a level playing ground for all stakeholders”. The Minister said plans are in top gear to restore Festac Town in Lagos to its past glory. According to her, the government will not rest on its oars until this mission is accomplished.

She also disclosed that a revised National Building Code has been finalised as one of the enabling instruments for ensuring quality and enhancing standards in the housing and urban development sectors.