FG Puts Nigeria’s Housing Deficit At 14.9 Million

Nigeria’s housing crisis has deepened as the national housing deficit jumped to 14.9 million in 2025, with growing pressure on government and private developers to deliver affordable homes.

THE WHISLTER recalls that Nigeria has battled housing deficits for years without any credible data to bank on.

The former Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, whose purview the housing sector fell under during his tenure, had, in March 2019, faulted the 17 million often cited as the country’s housing deficit figure.

He argued that the figure had been used over the years and had been revalidated by all professionals without asking how it was generated, saying that the continuous use of the 17 million figure was erroneous.

However, the current Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Architect Ahmed Dangiwa, on August 20, 2024, five years after Fashola disputed the 17 million housing deficit figure, inaugurated a Joint Steering Committee on National Housing Data to tackle housing deficits in the country.

Almost one year and four months after the inauguration, the committee released a report which pegged the country’s housing deficits at t 14.925 million.

According to the Chairman of the committee, Dr Taofeek Olatinwo, the country’s housing deficits stood at 14.925 million in 2025.

Olatinwo, who is also a Director at Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), spoke at the just-concluded 14th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, which was held in Ilorin, Kwara State.

He explained that the deficit estimates were derived from multiple validated data sources, including national household surveys, population and housing census data, and housing adequacy indices developed under international best practice frameworks.

“Reliable housing data is fundamental to solving Nigeria’s housing problem. Accurate measurement of the housing deficit allows government, lenders, developers, and investors to plan effectively, allocate resources properly, and design sustainable interventions that expand access to affordable housing,” he said.

Reacting to the development, Dangiwa commended the committee for finally putting the issue of Nigeria’s housing data to rest.

“One of the biggest gaps in our sector has been the absence of reliable, centralised, and actionable housing data. Without data, planning becomes guesswork; investment becomes speculative; and tracking progress becomes difficult,” he said.