By Adamu Aminu.
For years, Nigerians abroad who wanted to own a home back home had to trust a process from a distance: a plot bought sight unseen, a contractor paid in installments and never heard from again, a project that stalled somewhere between foundation and roof.
It was a familiar story, told in Lagos, in Kano, and in living rooms across London, Houston, and Dubai — of money sent home and hope sent with it, often with nothing to show for it. Some gave up entirely, choosing instead to lend their savings to relatives they could only half trust.
Others simply stopped trying, deciding that a home in Nigeria was a dream better left for retirement, or for someone else’s children. Last week, the Federal Government moved to rewrite that story.
The two days in London, the Federal Government formally launched the National Housing Fund Diaspora Mortgage Loan Scheme. Government officials, mortgage finance stakeholders, and members of the Nigerian community in the UK met in one room to examine what a more accountable path to homeownership might look like.
The event was led on behalf of the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma, by the Minister of State, Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata. Also present were the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Shuaib Muhammad Belgore, and the Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Shehu Usman Osidi
Hon. Ata described the scheme as an institutional pathway for diaspora Nigerians to own homes at home, free from the fraud and abandoned projects that had discouraged many in the past.
He said the Ministry had repeatedly heard from Nigerians abroad who lost money to unverified agents and unregistered developers, and that the scheme was built to close the gap between intention and delivery.
“The NHF Diaspora Mortgage Loan represents the Federal Government’s commitment to restoring confidence through credible institutions, transparent processes, and secure financing,” he said.
Under the scheme, eligible applicants can register under the NHF, complete Know-Your-Customer requirements digitally, contribute remotely, and access loans of up to N100 million at nine percent interest, without travelling to Nigeria. Funds will be disbursed directly to verified developers and sellers, a structure designed to remove the applicant from the point of greatest risk in the transaction.
In an extensive engagement on the sidelines of the launch, the Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Shehu Usman Osidi, outlined the institutional mechanics behind the initiative. He explained that the Bank has restructured its diaspora onboarding portal to allow for remote NHF registration, biometric verification, and automated contribution tracking.
According to him, the objective was to eliminate physical presence as a barrier while maintaining compliance with CBN and AML/CFT standards.
Mr. Osidi further stated that the Bank is working with licensed mortgage institutions and vetted developers to create a pipeline of NHF-certified housing units across all six geopolitical zones. Loan disbursements under the scheme, he noted, will not pass through individual accounts. Instead, funds will be paid directly to verified developers upon milestone certification by independent project monitors.
He described the approach as a risk-mitigation model intended to protect diaspora applicants and ensure that contributions translate into completed homes.
“This is about creating a credible, bankable process,” he said. “We want Nigerians abroad to leverage a system where their money builds assets they can see, track, and ultimately own.”
Across the two days, officials walked stakeholders through the scheme’s risk management framework, developed with the Central Bank of Nigeria, and fielded questions on eligibility and disbursement. Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador Amin Dalhatu, and the CANUK Chairman, Hon. Dr. Iliyasu Maisanda, also took part.
The association pledged support for implementation — a step, the Ministry said, toward channelling diaspora resources into Nigeria’s housing sector.
What was launched in London last week is, in the end, a test of follow-through rather than intention.
Nigeria has announced housing schemes before, and diaspora communities have learned, often at great cost, to measure such announcements against what eventually gets built.
The Diaspora Mortgage Loan will be judged less by the ceremony that introduced it than by the first houses it delivers, the first disputes it resolves, and whether the confidence it promises survives contact with the same system that created the mistrust in the first place.
Adamu Aminu is the Special Assistant on Media, Office of the Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.