Minister Darma Addresses Nigeria's Housing Crisis

During a handover ceremony held in Abuja on Monday, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Darma, committed to adopting a collaborative leadership approach to tackle Nigeria's housing crisis, which has an estimated deficit of over 14 million homes. He stressed the importance of engaging stakeholders across various sectors to achieve housing objectives and ensure accountability in performance indicators.

Darma noted the rising costs of housing in major cities like Abuja, where a one-bedroom house can sell for between 25 million and 30 million Naira, making it unaffordable for the middle class. He also highlighted the significant employment opportunities created through large-scale housing projects, which have generated approximately 300,000 direct and indirect jobs across the country.

Despite these achievements, Darma acknowledged ongoing challenges, particularly related to budgetary allocations and infrastructure delays, which hinder project implementation. He expressed confidence in consolidating existing gains and fostering public-private partnerships to drive economic growth and improve housing affordability.