The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Rabe Darma, on Friday, took oath of office administered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.

The Minister immediately set an ambitious tone for his tenure, pledging to deploy innovation and strategic thinking to tackle Nigeria’s massive housing shortfall.

In a media interaction after taking the oath of office, Darma described his appointment as a test of responsibility and accountability, saying his performance would be judged by multiple constituencies, including himself, the public, and ultimately, God.

The minister acknowledged the scale of the crisis before him, noting that Nigeria requires an estimated 20 million housing units to meet current demand, a gap affecting over 100 million people.

Despite the daunting figures, Darma signaled a reform-driven approach anchored on innovation and forward planning.

On the critical issue of funding, long seen as a major bottleneck in the sector, the minister admitted he is yet to fully assess the ministry’s internal constraints but assured that solutions would follow a proper understanding of the terrain.

Darma, however, raised concerns over what he described as systemic inefficiencies in government-led housing delivery, contrasting it with the relative success of private developers.

He added that the profitability and social prestige attached to private real estate ventures underscore deeper issues within public housing frameworks.

The minister intend to interrogate existing delivery models, improve efficiency, and potentially harness private sector capacity in bridging Nigeria’s widening housing deficit.