Senate Tasks Darma on Housing Reform, Abandoned Estates, Mortgage Fix

The Senate on Thursday confirmed Dr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but quickly turned his appointment into a performance-driven assignment, charging him to confront what lawmakers described as Nigeria’s “broken housing ecosystem” — from abandoned estates to a stalled mortgage market and widening urban planning failures.
Darma’s confirmation followed a screening session that began conventionally but ended with a rare convergence of political agreement on one point: the housing sector is underperforming and urgently needs structural reform.
The nomination, transmitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu under Section 147(2) of the Constitution, was moved for approval by Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central) before the chamber resolved into the Committee of the Whole.
But instead of routine endorsement, senators used the opportunity to issue what effectively became a reform checklist for the new minister.
At the centre of the debate was a recurring national concern — hundreds of abandoned federal housing estates scattered across the country, many deteriorating while Nigeria’s housing deficit continues to expand.
Senators also flagged weak mortgage penetration, poor utilisation of pension funds, and unchecked distortions of the Abuja Master Plan as systemic failures that have crippled housing delivery.
Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Borno North) set the tone, describing housing as a national stability issue rather than a welfare policy, warning that the deficit is now feeding urban congestion and social pressure.
A sharper intervention came from Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North), who challenged the structure of Nigeria’s pension system, questioning why trillions of naira in retirement savings have not translated into scalable home ownership.
“These funds exist, yet contributors cannot access housing. That gap must be closed through structured mortgage innovation,” he argued.
Senator Babangida Hussaini (Jigawa North-West) spotlighted abandoned estates nationwide, noting that many federal projects have become “idle assets decaying in real time,” urging the government to urgently rehabilitate and allocate them or risk further economic waste.
Senator Garba Musa Maidoki (Kebbi South) widened the scrutiny to Abuja itself, warning that violations of the city’s Master Plan — including illegal conversions and encroachment on designated spaces — are eroding the capital’s long-term structure.
Responding, Darma acknowledged the scale of the challenge, describing Nigeria’s housing crisis as a “systemic imbalance between demand, financing, and execution.”
He pledged immediate focus on three priorities: recovery and utilisation of abandoned housing estates, reform of mortgage access frameworks, and tighter coordination of urban development institutions.
Darma also proposed deeper collaboration with pension and financial regulators to unlock long-term funding for affordable housing, noting that sustainable home ownership must be tied to structured financing, not ad-hoc interventions.
Drawing on his experience at the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), he said institutional discipline and results-driven management would guide his approach to the ministry.
Following deliberations, the Senate confirmed his nomination through a voice vote with broad support.
In his concluding remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio congratulated the new minister but issued a pointed reminder that Nigerians are not interested in rhetoric.
“Confirmation is not the destination. Delivery is,” he said, underscoring that the housing sector now sits at the heart of national economic recovery.
With his confirmation secured, Darma assumes office under mounting expectations — tasked not only with building homes, but with restoring credibility to a system long weighed down by abandoned projects, financing gaps, and planning breakdowns.