The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, joined key stakeholders in Nigeria's housing and built environment sector to validate the National Housing Data Programme Report and deliberate on far-reaching reforms aimed at strengthening regulation of the built environment and repositioning the housing sector for sustainable growth.

Delivering a goodwill message at the Stakeholders Workshop in Abuja, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of FMBN, Shehu Usman Osidi, announced that the Bank's National Mortgage Registry has reached a major milestone and is ready for deployment.

"The National Mortgage Registry, which has been approved by the National Council on Housing and domiciled within FMBN, is being developed as a central digital repository for mortgage transaction records across the country," he said, declaring that "the application has been developed and is ready for deployment, while stakeholder engagements, data collection, cleansing and validation activities continue."

He explained that the Registry would significantly improve transparency and confidence in Nigeria's mortgage market.

"The Registry is expected to enhance transparency, improve access to mortgage information, strengthen risk management and build confidence in Nigeria's mortgage market," Osidi stated.

Highlighting the criticality of collaboration for the Registry's successful implementation, he emphasized that just like the National Housing Data Programme, the Mortgage Registry would depend on the active cooperation of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, State Land Registries, financial institutions, mortgage operators, developers, professional bodies and other stakeholders.

The Chief Executive further reaffirmed the Bank's commitment to supporting the National Housing Data Programme, noting that reliable data remains critical to expanding access to affordable housing finance and deepening Nigeria's mortgage market.

"We cannot effectively plan for the housing needs of our growing population without credible, reliable and accessible housing data," he said, adding that FMBN would continue to contribute its institutional experience, housing finance data and technical expertise towards the successful implementation of the programme.

In his keynote address at the Workshop, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma, PhD, stressed the importance of credible housing data to effective planning, policy formulation and investment decisions, noting that Nigeria must move beyond speculation in addressing its housing deficit.

"For twenty years we have quarrelled over whether the deficit is 15, 20 or 28 million units. No serious investor finances an argument," the Minister said.

He noted that although Nigeria's housing and construction sectors have become major contributors to the nation's economy, the industry continues to grapple with weak regulation, housing fraud, building collapse and limited access to affordable mortgage finance.

Earlier in a welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, who chairs the 13-member National Housing Data Steering Committee, said the workshop was convened to validate two strategic initiatives: the National Housing Data Programme and the Regulation of the Built Environment.

He observed that fragmented housing data and weak regulatory enforcement have continued to undermine effective planning, investor confidence and housing quality, urging stakeholders to work collectively towards strengthening the sector through reliable data and effective regulation.

Considering the importance of the Workshop to enhancing the delivery of FMBN's mandate, the Bank's Executive Directors, Dr. Muhammad Sani Abdu (Loans and Mortgage Services), Mr. Ibidapo Odojukan (Finance and Corporate Services) and Mrs. Chinenye Chinedu Anosike (Business Development and Portfolio Management), as well as senior Management Staff of the Bank, were in attendance.

The workshop brought together representatives of the Federal and State Governments, the World Bank, the National Population Commission (NPC), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), regulatory and professional bodies, financial institutions, developers, academia and the media to validate the proposed policy documents before their presentation to the Federal Executive Council.