By: Tijani Salako.

The Federal Government has announced plans to launch a National Housing Data Centre aimed at eliminating speculation surrounding Nigeria’s housing deficit, including the volume, value, and size of opportunities in the sector.

This was disclosed at an international housing event held recently, where the Minister of Housing and Urban Development stated that the government is working to establish a centralised housing data centre to provide credible and reliable statistics for the industry.

According to the Minister, since the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) estimated Nigeria’s housing deficit in 2006, subsequent figures quoted over the years have largely been based on assumptions rather than verified data.

Ahmed Dangiwa noted that to address the national housing deficit, currently estimated at 22 million units, Nigeria would need to produce an average of 550,000 housing units annually over the next 10 years. He added that achieving this target would require a financial outlay of more than ₦5.5 trillion per year.

Another speaker at the event, Matthew Ashimolowo, a pastor and real estate investor, cited a World Bank report which stated that Nigeria would need to construct approximately 700,000 housing units annually over the next 20 years to meet the needs of its growing population. He further noted that producing these units would require an estimated investment of ₦59 trillion within that period.

However, many of these figures have been regarded as speculative, underscoring the need for a national housing data system. The proposed data centre is therefore expected to harmonise housing statistics, providing investors and policymakers with reliable information for informed decision-making.

Stakeholders in the housing and real estate sector have long expressed concerns about the lack of reliable databases to guide investment decisions and clarify the true scale of opportunities within the industry.

“Nigeria needs dependable data in its housing sector. One of the biggest problems we have is the lack of data. People keep quoting 17 million units because there is no other data to prove or disprove it. We talk about homes demolished, burnt, or newly built, but who is keeping records of the houses being built and those being lost?” queried Erejuwa Gbadebo, Managing Director of Eko Development Limited.

She added that the industry must begin taking stock of available housing—identifying existing house types and their market values. According to her, accurate data collection is essential to ensure the country does not continue “fighting a battle it may have already won or lost.”

The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (FMHUD), which is coordinating the initiative, said the Data Centre is expected to be fully operational by December, a development anticipated to transform Nigeria’s housing and real estate policy landscape through evidence-based planning.

The centre will bring together key public and private stakeholders to harmonise housing statistics nationwide, track progress in addressing the housing deficit, and provide accurate data to support investment decisions.

Taofeeq Olatinwo, Chairman of the Technical Committee of the National Housing Data Programme (NHDP), explained that the Data Centre will operate as a federated system, allowing states, Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to submit data at regular intervals into a unified national platform.

According to Olatinwo, this approach will enable state-level data disaggregation while ensuring national coordination, helping the government identify housing gaps, affordability trends, and emerging urban patterns.

“The target is for the Data Centre to go live in December 2025. It will operate as a federated system with inputs from states, MDAs, and private developers at defined intervals, in line with global standards,” he said.