Housing shortage: Nigeria has one of the highest worldwide, says NGO – Thage

The research light of the July 2025 edition of the Goble Persegers Index APD (GPI) Bulletin focuses on Nigeria’s performance in the global housing index (GHI) among other world economies. The director of the APD group, March Oyinki more light on the deficiency of perennial housing of Nigeria, are the causes and efforts made by the federal government to face the persistent housing deficit.

The Federal Ministry for Housing Building and Urban Development (FMHUD) defines housing construction as the process of providing a safe, comfortable, attractive, functional, convenient and identifiable shelter in an adequate environment within a neighborhood, supported by the continuous maintenance of the environment built for the daily life activities of individuals/families within the community, reflecting their socio-economic and cultural aspirations,

The housing deficit, as described by the English Dictionary Collins, is the lack or lack of the number of houses necessary to host the population of an area. The supply of housing is a fundamental human right, as sanctioned in the United Nations Habitat agenda. The availability of safe, accessible and convenient accommodation for the population is a necessity and an obligation that the government owes to the citizens of the country.

The housing deficit in Nigeria is one of the tallest in the world, according to the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN). The report also shows that for the country to fill the gap, it must build around 700,000 houses every year for the next 20 years.

The housing shortage in Nigeria crossed decades, going to the administration of General Gowan, the military head of the state of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975. This unavailability of decent housing for a greater number of the country’s population has challenged any effort of the federal government to date, despite the amount of money of the giant in the real estate sector.

The Punch newspaper of 25 September 2023 reported experts in the sector revealing that Nigeria has a rate owned by the house of 20 % among its population of 238 million, significantly placing it below one of its nations between peers, South Africa, with a population of 56 million and a rate of ownership of the house of 67.7 percent. This shows that Nigeria has a surprising 80 %living deficit, with over 190 million homeless citizens.

There are several factors that are responsible for the growing living deficit in Nigeria, and among these there are: accessibility to quality housing, high cost of rents, exorbitant charges of the registration of land, delays in land ownership documents approvals, costs for building materials, only housing policies.

The Federal Government was consistent in its attempt to close the high deficiency existing in the supply of accommodation at affordable and safe prices for the teeming population by introducing some new political measures to face the deficiency.

The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FCMB), as part of the Federal Government’s efforts to facilitate greater access to funding for the construction of low -cost accommodation and as measures to help fill the existing lack of accommodation at affordable prices in the country. The main federal mortgage institute in a declaration issued during the 46th Kaduna international fair in February 2025, announced the collection of the ceiling of the mortgage structure for its National Housing Fund (NHF) from ₦ 15 million to ₦ 50 million, an increase of 333.33 percent.

In addition to the 30 million housing units that the federal ministry for housing and rural development plans to be provided as content in the 2025 budget, further measures have been taken to promote urban housing development. The minister, Arco. Ahmed Musa Yar’adua in a declaration on March 17, 2025 during the renewed hope that hosts the public-private partnership summit (PPPS), which was held at the Shehu Yar’adua Center. FCT Abuja revealed that his ministry is collaborating with Shelter Afrique Development to provide 5000 housing units at affordable prices as a key strategy to face the country’s living deficit.

Considering the prevalent situation of an almost state of emergency in the housing construction sector, it became necessary to attract the attention of the federal government to review its housing housing policies, in particular in the implementation and construction approvals. There is also urgent need for the government both at the federal and state level to review the laws of apartment as a way to reduce the incessant increase in the cost of the house rents and check the excesses of owners owners, developers and real estate agents.

The heavy and often excessive burden placed to manufacturers and landowners from exorbitant accusations of soil recording, deserves an urgent consideration by the government in order to guide rapid growth in residential development and the construction of accommodation at affordable prices for low -income earnings. The government, for high priority, must take measures to reduce delays in processing and approval of land ownership documents and review the current price regime in the processing and approval costs for the construction and construction documentation.

The cost of building materials is one of the most destabilizing individual factors that affect the cost of building buildings and homes of homes. A review of critical commercial policies in the prices of homes.

A review of the critical commercial policies in the housing construction sector that deals with the import fees of raw materials for the production of steel products and cover sheets, as well as a reduction of bottlenecks in the manipulation of the load in the maritime ports of the country.

The recent interventions of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FCMB) are a welcome start as it will promote the participation of the owners of private property in the construction of affordable accommodation. Further measures from the government to relax some of the rigorous criteria for access to funding both by individuals and mortgage clothes are essential to facilitate access to mortgage funds,

The public-private partnership agreement of the Federal Ministry for Housing Building and Urban Development (FMHUD) as a way to increase rural housing development is a step in the right direction. However, if we consider the scope of deficiency in the country needs of the country, the expected 25,000 housing units, even if they are on an annual basis, of the combined efforts of both the PPP and the 20,000 housing units in the budget, is still very far from satisfying annually the 700,000 housing units of the country.

There is nothing so devastating and discouraging for a potential owner owner or a real estate developer that the inexplicable illegal demolition of private property buildings and those owned by the developers owned, especially in the FCT, Abuja and Lagos purposes, which are the two main metropolitan cities that attract the most residential property for investment and private purposes. The impact of this crazy and often illegal demolition, apart from the enormous funding, loses for the owners owned, the post -traumatic effect will last long.

The consequences of these government actions not only have a negative mentality of vast and priceless inhabitants of the inhabitants in these cities, and will become a critical evaluation criterion for the decision -making process when considering the position for living projects in the country. Weighing the implications of these actions, mainly by governments in these two cities, the federal government must intervene urgently to save the living sector from an impending excess.

Post views:
104