The House of Representatives urged the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, to take urgent steps to curb the current trend of arbitrary rent increases across the country.
The House passed the resolution during plenary on Thursday, following the adoption of a motion sponsored by Bassey Akiba, a member representing Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Federal Constituency, Cross River State.
According to him, rent for a 2-bedroom in some parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has increased from N800,000 to N2.5 million annually.
Akiba said, “The rise in the cost of living has made it increasingly difficult for families and businesses to meet rental obligations,” adding that “unregulated rent increments threaten stability in the housing sector.”
He acknowledged the rights of landlords; he, however, noted that the rights of tenants should also be protected, citing Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as well as the United Nations Habitat Agenda, which says access to adequate and affordable housing is a basic human right.
The green chamber urged the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to partner with state governments to “enforce rent control measures, ensuring that public infrastructure projects do not lead to exploitative rent hikes, and cap rent increases at no more than 20 percent of the existing rent, irrespective of infrastructure improvements or other factors.”
The House also urged the FGN to “intensify efforts toward providing affordable housing schemes to ease pressure on the rental market and expand access to low-cost homes.”
More details later.