BY John Odhe, YENAGOA
Residents of Yenagoa, the capital city of Bayelsa State are expressing dismay over what they describe as outrageous increase in house rents.
The skyrocketing house rents in the State have triggered a severe housing crisis, with average annual prices for a self-contained apartment, surging between N300,000 and N400,000 while a one bedroom and two bedroom apartments go for between N800,000 and N1.5 million respectively.
This staggering inflation has left civil servants, students, and low-income earners struggling to afford basic accommodation, forcing many to relocate to the outskirts or overcrowd with relatives.
The crisis recently reached the floors of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, where lawmakers formally directed the Ministry of Lands and Survey to address the arbitrary hikes.
While landlords often justify the soaring rates with the increased cost of building materials, residents and legislative sponsors argue that older, unrenovated buildings are also being exploited to the detriment of citizens.
As the public outcry intensifies across university communities and the state capital, authorities are pushing for a new Rent Control and Tenancy Regulation Law.
A resident of Yenagoa and social commentator, Comrade Lakemfa Perez, says the critical rent situation is not without solutions.
He is proposing construction of low cost housing units for low income earning civil servants across the eight local government areas of the state.
“I know it will be difficult for government to peg house rent amount for landlords but if the State government can have interest in developing low cost housing units, it will go a long way to force down these outrageous rents,” he suggested.
Perez is also calling on the Nigeria’s organised labour union to make good its proposal to build housing units for civil servants in collaboration with developers and the Federal Mortgage Bank, urging government to encourage them.
Also speaking, a legal practitioner, Mr. Eric Deri notes that although there is no extant law restricting landlords from increasing house rents, there should be some control mechanisms such as specific period of time before a landlord can effect rent increase.
He also believes that when more houses are made available, the hike in rent will naturally fall to affordable levels.
“The more effective thing to do is for the government to invest in the housing sector so that demand will not outstrip supply. That one will force price down. You don’t need any law.
Until an official mediation committee and a formalized housing policy are established, vulnerable tenants are left at the mercy of unregulated agents and property owners.
