The Federal Government has called on state governments to release 50 hectares of land to support its Renewed Cities Agenda, aimed at delivering housing solutions for citizens. Mr. Ahmed Dangiwa, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, made this appeal during a courtesy visit by the Governor of Taraba, Dr. Agbu Kefas, in Abuja.
Dangiwa emphasised that the success of the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda for housing depended on the cooperation of states in providing land for the initiative. The project’s first phase aims to construct 34,500 houses across the country, utilising the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Federal Housing Authority (FHA), and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).
Affordable, quality housing for all Nigerians is a top government priority, and the ministry is collaborating with the National Population Commission (NPC) to assess the actual housing deficit. Dangiwa explained that meeting the housing needs of Nigerians required building approximately 550,000 new homes annually over the next decade, at an average cost of N8 million each, necessitating around N4.4 trillion annually.
He acknowledged that, historically, federal agencies and the Ministry of Housing collectively produced fewer than 15,000 housing units each year, largely due to inadequate access to finance and a lack of innovation in addressing the challenge.
However, Dangiwa expressed optimism that President Bola Tinubu was a proven game-changer who could make a difference in affordable housing history. He revealed that letters had been written to all state governors requesting about 50 hectares of land for the Renewed Hope Cities project.
In response, Governor Kefas pledged his support to the minister and proposed collaboration on infrastructure development, particularly housing. He expressed interest in utilising a property in Jalingo for accommodating civil servants and offered to provide land in Taraba for the ministry’s initiatives. Kefas also welcomed the ministry’s plan to build a new Federal Secretariat in Taraba and emphasised the need for it to accommodate all state ministries.