NIGERIA — Rising rents, high transportation costs and stagnant incomes are placing increasing pressure on Nigerian workers, with some forced to share apartments, move far from their workplaces or even sleep in offices and shops to cope with the growing cost of accommodation.
The worsening situation has highlighted concerns over Nigeria’s housing crisis, particularly in major cities such as Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, where rents and additional tenancy charges continue to rise.
Recent rental listings show the scale of the challenge. In Lagos, apartments in some areas are advertised for several millions of naira annually, while prospective tenants are often required to pay additional agency, legal and other fees. Similar pressures are being experienced in Abuja and Port Harcourt.
For some workers, the choice has become a difficult one between paying expensive rent close to work or moving to cheaper areas and spending a significant portion of their income on transportation.
Some residents have also resorted to sharing apartments. One Lagos resident reportedly shared a two-bedroom apartment for N700,000 annually, while another worker who could not afford accommodation close to work moved to Ikorodu and eventually shared an apartment with a colleague.
In one particularly difficult case, a shop owner in Ojodu Berger said he began sleeping in his shop after his landlord increased the annual rent on his one-room apartment to N1 million.
Calls for Rent Regulation
Stakeholders and housing advocates are calling for urgent government intervention to protect tenants from arbitrary rent increases and excessive charges.
Among the proposals is a system that would link rent increases to the official inflation rate, while preventing landlords from increasing rent excessively within short periods.
There are also calls to regulate agency and legal fees and establish a rent tribunal with the power to quickly resolve disputes between landlords and tenants.
Real estate stakeholders have also raised concerns about the role of some landlords and estate agents in driving up housing costs through high commissions and arbitrary price increases.
More Affordable Housing Needed
Beyond rent regulation, experts say Nigeria must significantly increase the supply of affordable housing.
Proposals include greater investment in public and social housing, affordable mortgages, cheaper access to land and incentives for private developers to build homes that ordinary workers can afford.
There are also calls for urban regeneration and the development of new, well-planned communities to reduce pressure on high-demand areas in cities such as Lagos.
As housing costs continue to rise faster than many workers’ incomes, stakeholders warn that the crisis could deepen unless governments take urgent steps to expand affordable housing and strengthen regulation of the rental market.
Jija Bokoti Media | International News and Magazine
