Housing Crisis: FG, States Move To Overhaul Mortgage, Land Systems

The federal government and state governments are set to confront some of the structural challenges undermining housing delivery in Nigeria as housing stakeholders converge on Sokoto for the 15th Meeting of the National Council on Land, Housing and Urban Development.

The five-day meeting, scheduled for October 12 to 16, 2026, will focus on strengthening the country’s mortgage, land administration and institutional systems as part of efforts to accelerate access to affordable and inclusive housing.

The council, with the theme, “Strengthening Mortgage, Land and Institutional Systems for Accelerated and Inclusive Housing Delivery,” is expected to bring together federal and state housing authorities, regulators, housing corporations, built-environment professionals and other key players to examine persistent barriers to housing delivery.

Among those expected at the meeting are state commissioners and permanent secretaries responsible for housing and urban development, general managers and chief executive officers of state housing corporations, state surveyor-generals and representatives of regulatory agencies.

The meeting comes amid growing recognition within the housing sector that increasing the number of housing units alone may not resolve Nigeria’s housing challenges without reforms to the systems governing access to land, housing finance, mortgages and urban development.

The council is therefore expected to provide a platform for the Federal Government and the states to review developments in the sector, exchange experiences and identify areas requiring stronger collaboration and coordinated policy action.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Rabe Darma, is expected to lead the federal delegation to the meeting alongside the Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore, said the meeting was in line with the ministry’s efforts to promote sustainable housing delivery and strengthen the institutional framework supporting the sector.

The council is also expected to consider practical strategies for improving the systems and institutions needed to expand access to affordable housing, while addressing land administration and mortgage-related constraints that continue to affect housing delivery across the country.

Sokoto State governor, Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, is scheduled to serve as the Special Guest of Honour at the meeting.

The National Council on Land, Housing and Urban Development remains a major platform for policy coordination between the Federal Government and the states, particularly on land administration, housing delivery, urban development and access to housing finance.

With federal and state housing authorities expected to participate, the Sokoto meeting is likely to place renewed emphasis on translating housing policies into coordinated institutional and practical measures capable of expanding housing access nationwide.