Manny Ita
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has declared 2026 as the “decisive year” for the Federal Government’s housing agenda, signaling a renewed push to address Nigeria’s housing deficit through accelerated project delivery. Speaking at an expanded management meeting on January 13, 2026, the minister said the government is adopting a “Completion-First” model that prioritizes finishing and handing over habitable homes rather than initiating new large-scale contracts.
Dangiwa said the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme will be expanded geographically in 2026, with new city projects scheduled to be launched in Maiduguri, Enugu and Port Harcourt. He said the new sites will complement ongoing construction work in Karsana, Abuja, Kano and Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, adding that the target is to have six major Renewed Hope Cities active across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones by the end of the year to deliver modern, high-standard urban housing.
The minister also disclosed that the Federal Housing Authority, under its Managing Director, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, has committed to delivering at least 800 affordable housing units nationwide in 2026. He said construction on the Ekiti State component of the project is expected to commence in February 2026, noting that the FHA is deploying a “shell” housing model in which the government completes the exterior and basic infrastructure, while off-takers handle interior finishing to reduce initial purchase costs.
In Abuja, Dangiwa said about 400 housing units in the Bwari Area Council are more than 80 percent complete and are expected to be fully finished and ready for presidential commissioning before the end of March 2026. He described the Bwari project as a critical milestone for demonstrating the administration’s commitment to timely housing delivery.
The minister said policy and funding reforms are being implemented to prevent project delays, including efforts to clear outstanding liabilities to contractors and close funding gaps that hindered progress in 2025. He also announced the approval of uniform sale prices nationwide to ensure transparency, citing a one-bedroom semi-detached bungalow priced at about ₦8.5 million, and said the 14th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development will meet in Ilorin, Kwara State, on January 19, 2026, to finalize the operational roadmap for the year.
