Sokoto Tackles Housing Deficit with 1,836 Housing Units — Gov. Aliyu
By Trek Africa Newspaper
Sokoto State Governor, Dr. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, has disclosed that his administration has initiated housing projects involving 1,836 units as part of efforts to address the housing deficit in the state.
The Governor made this known on Thursday at the closing ceremony of the 15th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, held in Sokoto.
Aliyu said the housing projects are in line with his administration’s commitment to providing decent and affordable accommodation for the people, in accordance with its nine-point SMART Agenda.
According to him, the projects include 500 housing units at Wajake in Wamakko Local Government Area, 500 units at Sokoto New City, 136 units acquired from the Federal Government at Kwannawa, 100 housing units each for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Illela and Rabah Local Government Areas, and 500 units at Gidan Salanke, a project initiated by the administration of former Governor, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, now being completed by his administration.
The Governor thanked the National Council for choosing Sokoto to host the 15th meeting, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to expanding access to decent and affordable housing.
In his remarks, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Dr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma, disclosed that the Federal Government plans to construct 100 housing units in each of Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas under its Social Housing Programme, bringing the proposed total to 77,400 units nationwide.
Darma also announced plans to increase mortgage delivery in Nigeria to 5,000 alongside a proposed increase in the maximum mortgage loan from N50 million to N85 million by 2028.
The Minister said the Federal Government was directing the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) to disburse at least 70 per cent of the previous year’s National Housing Fund (NHF) contributions through mortgages annually, with a target of 2,000 mortgages for the current year, rising to 5,000 by 2028.
According to him, the government is targeting the allocation of between 30 and 40 per cent of mortgage bookings to informal sector workers, many of whom have historically faced challenges accessing formal housing finance.
“The proposed reforms are designed to strengthen the housing finance system, improve access to mortgage facilities and ensure that more Nigerian workers can benefit from their contributions to the National Housing Fund,” he said.
He also disclosed plans to establish a National Housing Finance Authority to provide a more coordinated regulatory framework and improve the performance of Nigeria’s housing finance sector, as well as the recently launched Diaspora Mortgage Programme for Nigerians abroad.
Darma reaffirmed the Federal Government’s determination to make housing finance more accessible, particularly to low and middle-income earners and workers in the informal sector, stressing that effective implementation, transparency and accountability would be essential.
Speaking at the event, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, described the theme of the meeting — “Strengthening Mortgage, Land and Institutional Systems for Accelerated and Inclusive Housing Development” — as timely and relevant, stressing the need for collaboration among stakeholders to make housing more affordable and accessible.
Other speakers included the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo; Chairman, House Committee on Urban Development and Regional Planning, Hon. Awaji-Inombek Abiante; and Sokoto State Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Nasiru Dantsoho.
The meeting, which brought together Commissioners for Lands, Housing and Urban Development from the 36 states of the federation, ended with resolutions aimed at accelerating inclusive housing delivery across the country.
