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Figures on Nigeria’s housing situation incorrect, Fashola insists
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, insisted on Thursday that figures on Nigeria’s housing deficit are wrong.
The minister, who spoke at the Weekly Ministerial Press Briefing organised by the Presidential Communication Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said there are many empty houses in the country.
He added that this cannot be classified as a deficit.
Fashola stressed that the pressure on housing in the country was caused by rural-urban migration.
He said: “People leave their houses in the rural areas to squat in the cities; it does not amount to housing deficit in the country,
“We are not in a housing crisis. Housing shortages that exist are in urban centers not in rural areas. The problem is as a result of urbanisation where people move from rural to urban centers.”
READ ALSO: Nigerian govt owing 3,504 housing contractors N70bn –Fashola
The minister described the figures on housing deficit as illogical, saying there cannot be a housing deficit when you have empty houses.
“No such deficits exist anywhere in the world,” he added.
Fashola said he consulted the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) on his claim, adding that the three agencies confirmed that reports on the country’s housing situation are incorrect.
However, Ripples Nigeria fact-checked the Minister’s claim and found it to be false.
You can read it here.
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