The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has signed its 2025 Performance Contracts with directors and departmental heads, committing to tangible reforms that align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, presided over the high-level retreat in Abuja with the theme, “Accelerating Service Delivery through Performance Contracting and Strategic Alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda.” Dangiwa described the signing as a critical milestone, not just an administrative tradition, but a bold leadership move to enforce performance-based delivery.
Speaking during the retreat, Dangiwa reiterated that the Ministry is no longer in an era where vague commitments are acceptable. Instead, all agencies and departments under the housing ministry must now align with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and an accountability framework monitored through dashboards managed by the Central Delivery Coordinating Unit (CDCU).
He said, “We are entering a new era where performance is measured, tracked and linked to promotions and public impact. The Presidential Performance Bond we signed is a binding commitment to the Nigerian people. It’s not business as usual.”
The retreat sets the stage for the Ministry’s core 2025 deliverables, including:
Construction of 20,000 Affordable Housing Units: Through the Renewed Hope Housing Programme, the Ministry aims to reduce Nigeria’s housing deficit, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth across the six geopolitical zones.
Expansion of Local Building Material Production: Fiscal and policy incentives will be introduced to encourage private sector investment in the local manufacturing of cement, steel, roofing materials, and other components—reducing reliance on costly imports.
Digitisation of National Land Records: In partnership with state governments, the Ministry will expand its land reform initiative, focusing on digitisation, ease of access, and tenure security to foster investment and urban planning across Nigeria.
Dangiwa highlighted that modernising the ministry’s operations and embracing technology is central to achieving measurable results. “We must leverage data, embrace digital tools, and build a system where transparency and speed define public service delivery,” he noted.
He also praised the technical support from the CDCU and the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) in driving the Performance Management System (PMS), which was enshrined into public service practice under the 2021 Revised Public Service Rules.
Also speaking at the retreat, the Permanent Secretary, Shuaib Belgore, emphasised that performance contracting is now mandatory and vital for effective governance.
“This system allows us to track, evaluate and make strategic decisions on capacity building, promotions, and even funding allocations,” Belgore explained. “It supports transparency and ensures every officer plays a clear, measurable role in delivering housing reforms.”
The Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics, Mukhtar Iliyasu, cautioned that officers who fail to comply with performance metrics will face sanctions. He pointed to improvements made since the maiden retreat in 2024, including the creation of PMS Day, cascading of KPIs to individual officers, and the development of real-time scorecards.
Iliyasu said, “We are linking individual and departmental performance directly to national goals. No department will be left behind.”
By embedding accountability at every level and aggressively aligning with national development plans, the Ministry of Housing is setting a precedent for results-driven governance. Stakeholders in the built environment and economic policy circles see this as a much-needed step to bridge Nigeria’s housing gap, enhance urban planning, and promote inclusive development.
As Nigeria pushes towards a digitally-enabled, inclusive housing framework, this performance contract signing could redefine how public housing agencies are held to account—and how fast they can deliver.