The House of Representatives recognises that locally acquired data is required to fix Nigeria’s housing deficit and has tasked its committees accordingly
The House of Representatives has called for urgent measures to address Nigeria’s housing deficit and homelessness crisis.
It has accordingly mandated its committee on housing and habitat to liaise with the federal ministry of housing and urban development to address the lack of credible, scientific, and verifiable data on the state of housing in the country and ensure access to decent and affordable housing.
This resolution followed a motion by Rep. Emmanuel Ukpong-Udo (YPP Akwa Ibom), during Tuesday’s plenary session.
Leading the debate on the motion, Rep. Ukpong-Udo highlighted the alarming statistics that place Nigeria among the top 10 countries with the highest homeless populations, with over 24 million people lacking proper shelter.
“Nigeria is among the top 10 countries with homeless populations, leading with 24 million, followed by Pakistan, Egypt, Syria,and Congo,” Ukpong-Udo said
He noted that effective housing policies require accurate and verifiable data, a resource Nigeria currently lacks. The reliance on external sources, such as the World Bank, for housing-related data underscores a gap that hampers effective planning and execution of housing policies, he added.
“The housing deficit in Nigeria is one of the largest globally, and the absence of credible data further complicates efforts to tackle this critical issue,” Ukpong-Udo stated.
He expressed concern that Nigeria’s housing deficit contributes to widespread homelessness and exacerbates social challenges and that homelessness negatively impacts economic growth, peace, and societal stability.
He acknowledged the government’s initiative to allocate 3,500 housing units under the ‘renewed hope cities programme’ but emphasized the need for a more comprehensive and data-driven approach to address the housing crisis nationwide.
The Speaker, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas (APC Kaduna) who presided over the session, referred the motion to the committee on housing and habitat and legislative compliance.
STAR Check: Nigerians, particularly, constituents of Ikono/Ini federal constituency, can keep tabs on the legislative performance of Rep. Ukpong-Udo throughout the 10th House here
