The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Dr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma, has said the Federal Government is working to ensure that Nigerian workers no longer spend between 40 and 60 per cent of their incomes on house rent.
Darma stated this on Wednesday in Abuja while speaking at the presentation of houses to about 430 staff members of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Housing initiative.
The minister said the high cost of housing was one of the factors contributing to financial pressure on Nigerian families and could indirectly create incentives for corruption.
According to him, reducing the proportion of workers’ income spent on accommodation would help ease the burden on families and improve their ability to meet other basic needs.
“We are going to assure that in this country workers don’t spend 40 to 60 per cent of their income on rent. At least, if we do that, we are reducing one dimension that needs to be addressed,” Darma said.
He said the Federal Government was also working with stakeholders and regulators in the housing sector to significantly increase the number of affordable houses available to Nigerians.
Darma said the government was taking steps to address the country’s housing deficit, which he put at about 16 million housing units.
He disclosed that the government was also taking stock of abandoned housing projects across the country as part of its strategy to increase the nation’s housing stock.
According to him, about 250,000 housing units in abandoned projects could potentially be recovered and made available to Nigerians, including civil servants.
“We are taking stock of them. We are taking statistics. We are moving to each and every state where we have these abandoned properties,” he said.
The minister explained that the Federal Government was engaging state governors on the possibility of taking over or acquiring some of the abandoned projects for allocation to civil servants and other Nigerians.
Darma also highlighted the high cost of land, building materials, infrastructure and other requirements associated with home ownership, noting that these factors make it difficult for many workers to build houses from their salaries.
He said the government was therefore exploring various financing mechanisms, including access to the National Housing Fund and mortgage facilities, particularly for workers in the informal sector.
The minister further disclosed that the Federal Government’s planned social housing programme would target communities across the country, including the 774 local government areas, with the aim of making affordable homes accessible to low- and middle-income Nigerians.
He said the government’s housing strategy involved partnerships among federal institutions, state governments, mortgage institutions, developers and private investors.
Darma urged relevant agencies to move beyond speeches and focus on delivering tangible housing projects to Nigerians.
430 NMDPRA Staff Become Homeowners
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief Executive of NMDPRA, Mallam Rabiu Abdullahi Umar, said the authority was committed to improving the welfare of its workforce through initiatives that would enhance their productivity and wellbeing.
He said the housing initiative would provide greater security and stability for beneficiaries while strengthening their commitment to their duties.
Umar said staff welfare remained an important component of institutional performance, stressing that workers who had greater confidence in their personal and family future would be better positioned to contribute effectively to national development.
He commended the Federal Government, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and other partners for supporting the housing initiative.
Also speaking, the President of the NMDPRA Staff Cooperative Society, Abdullahi Danladi Auta, described the allocation of houses to staff as a significant milestone.
Auta said about 430 members of the authority’s workforce would benefit from the initiative, with projects located in Abuja, Kano and Lagos.
He said the initiative would provide beneficiaries with affordable access to home ownership at a time when the rising cost of land, construction materials and other housing inputs had made home ownership increasingly difficult for workers.
Houses Delivered in Abuja, Kano and Lagos
The Chief Commercial Officer of Renewed Hope SPV Limited, Dare Makinde, said the first phase of the project would provide different categories of housing units to NMDPRA staff.
He said the houses include two-bedroom and three-bedroom flats, three-bedroom terraces with boys’ quarters, as well as other categories of houses across the different locations.
Makinde said 365 housing units were earmarked for Abuja, while additional units would be delivered in Kano and Lagos.
He disclosed that the second phase of the project would commence in the coming year.
The Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Shehu Usman Osidi, congratulated the beneficiaries and commended the collaboration among NMDPRA, the Renewed Hope housing programme and other stakeholders.
Osidi said the initiative demonstrated the importance of partnerships in expanding access to affordable housing and creating opportunities for workers to become homeowners.
The housing minister, Darma, was appointed to the position in April 2026 following the resignation of his predecessor, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa.
The Federal Government has continued to position the Renewed Hope Housing Agenda as a key intervention for expanding access to affordable housing and addressing Nigeria’s housing deficit.
