Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Shuaib Belgore has restated the commitment of the Housing Ministry to drive policy harmonization and deepen Public – Private collaboration as strategies to accelerate housing delivery and sustainable urban development in Nigeria.
Dr. Belgore, stated this at the ongoing 14th Meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, NCLHUD, in Ilorin, Kwara State.
He noted that effective coordination across all tiers of government, supported by the private sector, remains critical to addressing the nation’s housing deficit.
“Achieving sustainable housing delivery and functional cities begins with sound policy formulation, rigorous sectoral reviews, and the implementation of actionable strategies,” Belgore said.
He explained that the Council serves as the highest statutory policy advisory platform in the sector, bringing together key stakeholders to align national and sub-national actions around shared priorities for housing and urban development.
According to him, growing pressure on public resources has made Public–Private Partnerships, PPPs, indispensable, stressing that harmonized land administration systems, planning standards, financing frameworks, and delivery models are essential to creating a predictable, investor-friendly environment that accelerates housing supply.
Dr. Belgore identified persistent challenges, including limited access to land, high construction costs, weak land documentation, inadequate mortgage financing, and skills gaps, adding that the demerger of the Ministry from Works was a deliberate step to reposition the housing sector for greater impact.
He assured stakeholders of the Ministry’s continued policy leadership and institutional coordination, urging them to translate harmonized policies into measurable outcomes that improve access to affordable housing for Nigerians.”
Commending the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, for ongoing sectoral reforms, the Permanent Secretary highlighted land governance digitization, urban renewal, promotion of local building materials, and deepened PPPs as key drivers of sustainable housing delivery.
He also disclosed the Ministry’s intervention in establishing local building materials manufacturing hubs aimed at reducing construction costs and creating jobs, calling on stakeholders to engage constructively on memorandum before the Council to ensure actionable and coordinated outcomes nationwide.
In his remarks, the Commissioner of Housing and urban development, Kwara State, Dr. Segun Ogunsola, noted that the Kwara State is not lagging behind with regards to urban development in face of global best practices in housing and urban development.
He argued that the 14th National Housing Council is coming at a time when managing urban sprawl amidst population growth is fast becoming a major challenge.
Ogunsola assured stakeholders that the Kwara State Government will work with the Federal Government via the Federal Housing Ministry to bridge the gap in housing deficit, and management of urbanization across the state.
