The federal government has said it will undertake enumeration of empty houses nationwide to address the housing deficit.

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, while fielding questions during a town hall meeting on Saturday in Abuja said he had urged the National Population Commission to help it undertake the task while conducting the national population census.

“We will be enumerating houses so that we can have a more precise need for Nigerians. I have copied that letter to collaborative ministries, including planning and budget.

“Last week or two weeks ago, I called on the National Population Commission that as they are about to embark on a census in the country, they should assist us in collecting data about Nigeria’s housing needs,” Mr Fashola said.

He said this would be done to address concerns about access to housing. “We also see many empty houses unoccupied; how many they are and why they are empty?”

Speaking on workers benefiting from the National Housing Scheme, the minister said he had reached an agreement with labour to allocate 10 per cent of the houses to workers.

“We have an agreement with the unions that 10 per cent of the National Housing project will be for them, but for them to do so, they still have to go to the housing portal.”

The minister said there were a lot of issues surrounding the housing sector hence the portal had helped reduce such issues and unnecessary accusations by members of the public about the sale of forms.

(NAN)