The Nigerian government has reassured homeowners, mortgage applicants, and investors that no customer data was lost following the recent fire outbreak at the headquarters of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) in Abuja.
Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Muttaqa Rabe Darma, gave the assurance after inspecting the damaged building alongside senior ministry officials. He said the incident, which occurred on Saturday, caused damage to only a section of the bank’s second floor and did not affect the institution’s digital records or customer information.
According to the minister, preliminary findings suggest the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault, although a full investigation by relevant authorities is still underway. He stressed that any official found to have acted negligently would be held accountable once the investigation is completed.
Darma praised the Federal Mortgage Bank for modernising its operations through a cloud-based digital backup system, explaining that all critical customer records and operational documents remain secure despite the destruction of some physical files.
He urged Nigerians to continue using the bank’s services, emphasizing that the institution remains fully operational and that mortgage applications, customer services, and other banking activities have not been disrupted.
The minister also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to expanding access to affordable housing across the country. He said the administration remains on course to deliver the 100,000 housing units promised within four years and pledged greater transparency in the implementation of the programme.
As part of ongoing reforms, the government has directed the Federal Mortgage Bank to strengthen its internal processes with the goal of increasing mortgage approvals to about 2,000 annually, making home ownership more accessible to Nigerians.
Management of the Federal Mortgage Bank confirmed that daily operations continue without interruption and said the institution is fully cooperating with investigators examining the cause of the fire. The bank maintained that its digital infrastructure successfully protected customer information, allowing services to continue normally despite the damage to part of its headquarters.
