Housing Minister’s Absence Raise Concerns Over 2024 Budget Implementation
By Mercy Adi
The House of Representatives Committee on Housing, led by Hon. Abdulmumin Jibril, has expressed disappointment over the absence of the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Architect Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, at the 2025 budget defence session.
The permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development,Shaibu Belgore,appeared on behalf of the Minister, but the committee declined to accept his presentation, citing the absence of an official letter authorizing him to represent the Minister. The committee labeled this omission as an act of insubordination.
Hon. Abdulmumin Jibril emphasized that the Minister must appear in person to address pressing issues. “There’s a contradiction between the claims of 100% performance by housing agencies and the reported insufficiency of funds,” Jibril noted.
He stressed the need for greater transparency and accountability in budget implementation.
In a related development, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria presented the bank’s budget performance for 2024, projecting a budget of ₦268.39 billion for 2025. The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) also reported an impressive 118% internally generated revenue (IGR) performance in 2024 and proposed a budget of over ₦184 billion for 2025.
The committee reiterated its commitment to ensuring that the housing sector is adequately funded and that all stakeholders are held accountable in their efforts to address the nation’s housing deficit.
