Housing deficit: FG charges committee to deliver on mandate, emphasises use of data. .
CHIGOZIE AMADI
Federal Government yesterday inaugurated a Joint Steering Committee on National Housing Data with a charge to deliver on the present administration’s mandate to deliver affordable housing by tackling the deficits in the country.
It emphasised effective utilisation of data to achieve required result in the delivery of affordable housing for Nigerians.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Abuja Tuesday, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, harped on the role of accurate and verifiable data in tackling the country’s housing challenges.
He noted that “Ensuring access to decent and affordable housing is not only a social and moral responsibility of the government. It is also a catalyst for economic development, job creation, and poverty alleviation,”.
The minister expressed worry over what he described as lack of credible data on Nigeria’s housing situation, stating that the situation is a national emergency for the sector.
“Without data, we cannot know the magnitude of the problem we are facing, how much resources we need to allocate, for how long, which areas to focus on, which markets to prioritise, and a host of other considerations. In fact, we would be flying blind. This is not sustainable,” he noted.
The newly inaugurated Joint Steering Committee has the task of developing a blueprint to establish a National Housing Data Centre.
Its membership were the representatives from key stakeholders in Nigeria’s housing market, such as the National Population Commission, the National Bureau of Statistics, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, among others.
The committee has been established as a strategic partnership among key stakeholders in Nigeria’s housing market, with the mandate to develop and implement a blueprint for ensuring transparency and ease of access to housing data in Nigeria, which will be essential for policy and decision-making towards affordable housing and the well-being of Nigerians,” the minister stated.
Dangiwa also outlined the key deliverables expected from the Committee, including the development of frameworks for setting up the NHDC, data collection from public and private institutions, and the distribution of housing data to institutional and retail investors.
While urging the committee to deliver the outcomes within a timeline ranging from two to four months, the minister enjoined all committee members to approach their duties with diligence and commitment.
“I urge all the members to take this national assignment seriously and dedicate their efforts and resources to achieving the goals for which this committee is set up.
“Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, we are firmly against creating committees that do not deliver on their mandates. The timelines are clear, the deliverables are also clear. Let us work towards meeting them and charting a new and credible path forward for housing data acquisition, management, and usage,” he noted.
The committee, as part of its mandate, will also set up a Technical Working Group comprising data experts from both public and private sectors, including reputable consultancy firms, to carry out the detailed technical work required to meet the committee’s objectives.
