- House Agents Groan
Edith CHUKU
There have been growing concerns over the frightening activities of young men involved in internet fraud popularly known as “yahoo boys” across states in the South-South region of Nigeria.
In Port Harcourt, Calabar and Yenagoa, “yahoo boys” have been described as a “bad market” for the common man, particularly, house agents and ordinary residents struggling to afford accommodation.
For most landlords, the yahoo boys are a blessing in disguise, as their presence continue to trigger an excessive incessant increment in house rents, with the increasing demand for accommodation.
As many Nigerians continue to grapple with worsening economic hardship and declining living standards, landlords have continued to raise rents, even as several hotel operators do triple their accommodation rates.
In a surprising twist, however, some of these seemingly unaffordable accommodations are occupied by teenagers who arrive in luxury vehicles, despite having no identifiable sources of income.
Their apparent financial capacity amid widespread economic hardship has raised questions about the sources of their wealth.
In Port Harcourt for instance, there are places like the NDDC road, along Eneka-Igbo Etche, where a renovated self-contained apartment was increased from N140,000 to over N500,000.
Also, a one bedroom apartment rose from N250,000 to over one million naira, making it impossible for some ordinary residents to afford, as most of such accommodations are mostly occupied by the yahoo boys.
As rents hit the roof top, some residents have said that being able to afford the yearly rent has become a miracle, as some have abandoned the city to the village, while others move to less expensive accommodations, following their inability to renew their tenancies.
For some house agents, the skyrocketing cost of accommodation has made it nearly impossible for most of them to secure an accommodation for their clients who are mainly salary earners or business owners. There are also some agents whose clients are majorly the yahoo boys.
TNN interviewed two property agents in Port Harcourt, Mr Christopher Akagbou and Mrs Chinuru Okafor. While a clergyman, Pastor Aniefiok Imeh Aaron spoke from Cross River State and Abasi Odiong spoke from Akwa Ibom State.
From Calabar, Aaron said: “Yes, there are yahoo boys in Cross River State. It’s nothing but the truth that the presence of yahoo boys in the state has made landlords to continue to skyrocket the cost of rent.
“A flat that they normally collect N250,000, sometimes because of the environment, they collect N400,000, but now they are collecting N850,000 and above, that is what they are collecting.
“These yahoo boys can remove four million to give to a landlord for an apartment. I am a father of four boys, you know what that means, apart from the fees and bills, don’t I want to own properties and build my own house that I will count four million every year and give to a landlord?
“The problem is that some landlords are increasing their rent just so that only yahoo boys can afford it; ordinary people like you and I cannot pay, they are increasing it for yahoo boys to take. It’s true.
“Mostly that thing happens in the area where they call Anatigha, in Calabar.”
From Port Harcourt, Akagbou lamented that “yahoo boys have removed food from our mouth. Some of us are just here. Some agents are leaving the business. Like me, I am looking for work now so that I can take care of my wife and children.
“Before, there is no how that in a week I will not see at least two businesses, at all at all, two businesses and it must click. Some weeks, you will have up to five, six clients on your neck. They will pay you movement fee, send you card, even pay agent fee without complaining. But now, na wa ooo.
“Yahoo boys have spoilt market for us. They have made house rent very high. I don’t know anyone, my clients cannot pay the amount landlords are calling now, so, that is it.”
According to him, “to get cheap house now, you have to go inside, inside Igbo-Etche, but this NDDC road na hot cake. Both house ooo, store rents don go very high. Landlords don’t care that there is no money in the country, so, because yahoo boys have money in their hand, whether N800, one million, they are able to pay, but the common man cannot afford that.”
Akagbou revealed that “before we made more money because we were able to get accommodation for our clients because the house was affordable. But now, like that NDDC area, currently, the house is in a high side because one, yahoo boys are there and because of the link road project. They have demolished houses and stores from Rukpokwu down to Eneka, so some landlords have lost their property, so the little one available is very high and those that their own is along the road also raised the price.”
On her part, Mrs Okafor said “the presence of yahoo boys is affecting house agents and I also tell you that most of them are eating fat. In fact, the thing is that some agents are already well connected. So, no matter how it is, people will patronize them. And then, some other ones that are trying to enter the industry are still struggling because some of them, transportation is even higher than what they will pay them.”
