To many Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Housing Programme is just another programme, not in any way better than a pipe smoke that loses its essence and import as it filters into the vacant atmosphere.
From experience, Nigerians have learnt how not to take the government’s programmes, including housing, seriously. But Ahmed Dangiwa, Nigeria’s minister for housing and urban development, bets on Tinubu’s housing programme, contending that the programme, which seems largely unexplained, has a lot to offer.
“What makes this programme different is that it goes beyond building houses. It is about restoring dignity, creating wealth, reducing poverty, stimulating local building material production, and unlocking homeownership for millions of Nigerians who have long been excluded,” the minister explained.
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“Mr President deserves full credit for this vision. His bold political will, his directive to make housing a priority in the Renewed Hope Agenda, and his support for innovative financing solutions—such as single-digit interest rate mortgages, zero-down-payment rent-to-own schemes, and our Digital Housing Portal—have made this historic programme possible,” he explained further.
Dangiwa counted his team and himself as privileged to carry this vision forward, working through strategic public-private partnerships to ensure scale, sustainability, and life-changing impact for Nigerian families.
He disclosed that the programme was inspired by a challenge the country could no longer ignore—a housing deficit conservatively estimated at over 20 million units, coupled with decades of limited access to affordable financing and homeownership opportunities for the majority of our citizens.
“Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda gave us the clear directive: reset the trajectory of housing in Nigeria, close the gap, and ensure that every Nigerian—whether low-, middle-, or high-income—has a fair chance to own a home,” he said.
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The programme, according to the minister, is built on a three-pronged approach designed to meet the needs of every income segment. They are:
Renewed Hope Cities: Large-scale, master-planned communities of at least 1,000 housing units each in major urban centres. These are not just residential clusters but smart, sustainable communities with schools, hospitals, green spaces, and commercial hubs. They target high-income Nigerians and diaspora investors while also creating thousands of jobs and stimulating economic growth in surrounding areas.
Renewed Hope Estates: Mid-sized estates of 250 housing units in every state capital, specifically designed for middle-income Nigerians such as civil servants, teachers, health workers, artisans, and traders. These estates bring affordable homes closer to workplaces, reducing commuting stress and improving family life.
Renewed Hope Social Housing Estates: The most socially transformative component, this will deliver 100 affordable homes in each of Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas, targeted at the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians, including homeless families and persons with disabilities. For the first time in Nigeria’s history, housing development will touch every LGA in a structured, equitable manner.
