Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, has submitted that there are no industry-accepted data to guide the Federal Government and financial institutions in planning strategies to fix Nigeria’s housing problem.

Inaugurating a Joint Steering Committee on National Housing Data Centre in Abuja, the minister submitted that “it is rare for any country to grow, achieve peace, and enjoy stability without having a housing market that works efficiently and provides decent shelter for its citizens.”

He stated that the committee should ensure access to verifiable data for decent and affordable housing, adding that, “this is not only a social and moral responsibility of the government, but also a catalyst for economic development, job creation, and poverty alleviation.”

Dangiwa added: “All of us gathered here today (yesterday) are stakeholders in Nigeria’s housing industry. We all know where we stand as a country in terms of meeting the housing needs of Nigerians. We are far from where we should be in unleashing the sector’s potential as an enabler of economic growth.”

Speaking on behalf of the committee, the Managing Director of Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company, Kehinde Ogundimu, thanked the Minister for empanelling them to develop housing data that would serve both local and international investors

Hinting that Nigeria’s housing market is in a pitiable condition in terms of knowing “our authentic housing deficit,” Ogundimu added: “We now have 66 million habitable houses, while at least 40 per cent of the structures are unhabitable in the country.”

MEANWHILE, the Oyo State government has committed N513.46 million as compensation to individuals, whose properties were affected by key development projects in the state.

The Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Williams Akin-Funmilayo, made the disclosure yesterday during a meeting with the claimants. The compensation covers properties impacted by the construction of an Air Force Base, a General Hospital, and an ICT centre in Ajia, Ona Ara council area of the state.

Akin-Funmilayo said the payment of N513,462,446.50 was part of the government’s efforts to maintain a positive relationship with residents. He revealed that the state had previously conducted an identification and verification exercise to assess and value the affected properties before initiating payments.

One of the beneficiaries, Adedokun Olalekan, lauded Governor Seyi Makinde for his considerate approach to the people of Oyo State.