Tinubu Swears In Muttaqha Rabe Darma as New Minister of Housing and Urban Development
Summary
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday, April 24, 2026 administered the oath of office to Dr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma as the new Minister of Housing and Urban Development at the State House in Abuja. The swearing-in follows his Senate confirmation on Thursday and comes as part of a minor cabinet reshuffle that also saw changes in the Ministry of Finance. Darma replaces Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, who recently resigned from the role.
The Presidential Villa in Abuja was the setting on Friday afternoon for a brief but significant ceremony as President Tinubu formally welcomed a new face into his Federal Executive Council.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at the presidential villa shortly before 4:00 p.m., marking Darma’s official entry into the federal executive council. Darma was nominated by President Tinubu on Wednesday, with his nomination letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio at plenary. He was confirmed by the Senate the following day after a screening exercise.
At the ceremony, President Tinubu offered warm words for his new minister. He congratulated Darma for coming on board at a “very challenging time of national development,” adding: “You have a very rich and interesting background. As a leader, we need competent hands like yours. There is no doubt that you have rendered valuable services in all the assignments you have embarked upon you are a fitting peg in the right position.”
Darma is a distinguished scholar and administrator from Katsina State. He holds a Doctor of Business Administration from the University of Liverpool, a PhD in Industrial Engineering from Atlantic International University in the United States, a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bayero University Kano, and a Master’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Benin.
He previously served as Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund from 2008 to 2012, and later held positions including Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport, and Commissioner for Rural and Social Development in Katsina State. He also contributed to academia as a lecturer at Bayero University Kano.
Speaking after the swearing-in, Darma was direct about the scale of the challenge ahead. He acknowledged that over 100 million Nigerians lack adequate shelter and outlined plans to strengthen leadership within the sector, expand access to affordable housing, and reform key institutions to improve delivery. “I feel that I have been given responsibility, and I know that if you are given responsibility, there are three classes of people who will judge you on that responsibility. I am going to deliver to the best of my ability, and you will see changes in no time,” he said.
The appointment is part of a broader cabinet reshuffle approved by the presidency, with Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume stating that the changes are aimed at “strengthening cohesion and synergy in governance, as well as achieving more impactful delivery on the economy to Nigerians through the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Analysis
The appointment of Muttaqha Rabe Darma to the housing portfolio arrives at a moment when Nigeria’s housing crisis has rarely been more visible. With over 100 million Nigerians reportedly lacking adequate shelter and a housing deficit estimated at roughly 20 million units, the ministry he now leads carries one of the most consequential briefs in the entire federal cabinet. The question is not whether the problem is real it is whether the new minister brings the right combination of technical knowledge, institutional understanding, and political will to make a meaningful dent in it. On paper, Darma’s credentials are credible. His engineering and business administration background, combined with hands-on experience in works and housing at the state level in Katsina, suggests a minister who understands both the technical and administrative dimensions of the brief. That combination is not always a given in ministerial appointments, and it gives his arrival a degree of professional legitimacy that will be watched closely by housing industry stakeholders. His remarks after the swearing-in were notably candid. Pointing to the gap between government housing projects that sit abandoned and private estate developers who grow wealthy, he signalled an intention to interrogate the structural reasons why public housing delivery has historically underperformed. That kind of diagnostic thinking asking why something is broken before prescribing a fix is encouraging, even if the proof will ultimately lie in execution. The broader cabinet reshuffle of which this appointment is a part reflects a presidency mid-stride in its Renewed Hope Agenda, making adjustments where it believes momentum has stalled. Whether Darma can bring that momentum to one of Nigeria’s most stubborn policy challenges will be among the more closely watched developments of this administration’s remaining tenure.