The Federal Government has unveiled a N10 billion housing initiative aimed at reducing Nigeria’s housing shortfall and promoting affordable homes for low- and middle-income earners.
Head of Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, disclosed this in Abuja on Friday during a joint press briefing with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, National Pension Commission, and other relevant agencies.
She said, “The President has approved a ten billion Naira housing loan scheme for civil servants to improve access to home ownership for civil servants. This loan will be facilitated through the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board.
“There’s a saying that a person who owns their own home, they stand differently. When a civil servant knows that their family has a place they can call their own, they come to work with a different swagger. With more stability, more focus, and more purpose which is why the federal government has announced this scheme,”
She also announced additional benefits for civil servants including “providing a 100% of a retiring employee’s total annual emoluments to Treasury-funded civil servants under the Contributory Pension Scheme, effective from 1 January 2026 in accordance with Section 44A of the Pension Reform Act 2014, which empowers employers to grant additional retirement benefits,”
Other incentives include an increase in peculiar allowance, payment of full duty tour allowance, that is 100%, for civil servants attending approved training programmes at recognised manpower development institutions, estacode, book allowance, among others
She explained that the adjustments were designed to reflect prevailing economic realities.
Also speaking on the development, the Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank, Shehu Usman Osidi, said the collaboration with the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board signals a new phase of transformation to enhance affordable housing for Nigerians, particularly civil servants
“The formalization of a strategic partnership marks the dawn of a renewed commitment to improving the lives and welfare of Nigerian workers, particularly our hard-working Federal Civil Servants, who remain the backbone of our nation’s civil service. At the FNBN, we hold firmly to the belief that access to safe, decent and affordable housing is not a luxury but a necessity. It is central to dignity, productivity and national development.
“This is why our core mandate, driven through the National Housing Fund scheme, has consistently focused on expanding access to affordable housing finance for Nigerian workers. Over the years, we have supported thousands of Nigerians to achieve home-ownership through the National Housing Fund mortgage loan scheme.
“The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria will provide funding to the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board for on-lending to federal civil servants.”
“It will provide multiple options tailored to meet the diverse housing needs of workers, whether for homeownership, renovation, rent support, or incremental housing development. In today’s Nigeria, the need for innovative housing solutions cannot be over-emphasized, given the rising housing income and rising prices of building materials.,” Osidi explained.
