The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, has called for improved access to affordable mortgages and land to accelerate the delivery of decent and affordable housing to Nigerians.
Belgore made the call at the 15th Meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, holding in Sokoto.
The 15th meeting of the Council is themed, “Strengthening Mortgage, Land and Institutional Systems for Accelerated and Inclusive Housing Delivery.”
He said addressing barriers to mortgage access, land administration and institutional efficiency was critical to achieving sustainable and inclusive housing delivery across the country.
According to him, the housing sector continues to face challenges, including high construction costs, limited access to finance, insecure access to land, bureaucratic bottlenecks, expensive land registration and titling, and uncoordinated policies between the Federal and State Governments.
He also identified ownership rights under the Land Use Act as one of the factors affecting effective housing development, and urged stakeholders to make concerted efforts to address the challenges.
Belgore said the mortgage system must respond to the realities of Nigerians, particularly low- and middle-income households, by providing attractive and accessible financing options capable of encouraging homeownership.
He stated that land remained the foundation of housing development, noting that sustainable housing delivery would remain difficult without accessible land that was properly planned and efficiently administered.
The Permanent Secretary called for stronger collaboration between the Federal and State Governments to resolve land-related challenges, noting that although land administration largely falls within the responsibilities of State Governments, its implications for national housing delivery require a coordinated approach.
He also emphasised the need to strengthen institutions responsible for housing delivery and regulation, saying weak institutions could undermine even well-designed policies.
He said government agencies at the Federal and sub-national levels must improve their technical capacity, inter-agency coordination, use of data and digital systems, regulatory processes and accountability to enhance performance.
Belgore further called for an inclusive housing delivery system that takes into account the socioeconomic diversity of Nigerians, including differences in income, age and social status, as well as the geographical distribution of houses and their links to supporting infrastructure.
He said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recognised the country’s housing challenges, adding that the Renewed Hope Agenda prioritised infrastructure development, with housing occupying a central place in the administration’s development goals.
