Nigerian Socialist Group Demands Rent Control, Public Housing Amid Rising Cost Of Accommodation | Sahara Reporters

The group identified Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Onitsha and Ibadan among the cities where finding affordable accommodation had become increasingly difficult for ordinary Nigerians.

The Revolutionary Socialist Movement (RSM) has called on governments at all levels to introduce rent control, expand public housing and strengthen tenant protection measures to address Nigeria’s worsening housing affordability crisis.

The group said millions of Nigerians, including workers, students, traders, artisans, pensioners and low-income families, were struggling to afford decent accommodation as rents continued to rise in major cities.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Salako Kayode, the organisation called for binding rent control policies to regulate excessive increases, prevent arbitrary evictions and protect tenants from what it described as exploitation by landlords.

The group identified Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Onitsha and Ibadan among the cities where finding affordable accommodation had become increasingly difficult for ordinary Nigerians.

It also cited rising rents in working-class communities around Abuja, including Karu, Jikwoyi, Zuba, Lugbe and Nyanya, where it claimed landlords were demanding between ₦1 million and ₦2 million annually for one- and two-bedroom apartments, depending on location and accommodation standards.

According to the RSM, the cost of housing was placing additional pressure on workers whose wages were already insufficient to meet basic needs.

The organisation cited a reported national housing deficit of more than 17 million units and called for substantial public investment to address the shortage.

It also referred to a 2021 United Nations report which it said estimated that more than 24.4 million people were homeless in Nigeria.

The group argued that the housing crisis required government intervention beyond reliance on market forces, criticising comments by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who reportedly attributed rising housing costs in the FCT to market forces.

According to the RSM, Wike had said the cost of everything had increased and that governments did not legislate on rents because prices were determined by market forces.

Questioning that position, the group asked who controlled the market forces driving rent increases, arguing that property owners and other major market players made decisions based on profit.

The RSM maintained that housing should be treated as a fundamental social need rather than a privilege reserved for wealthy Nigerians.

It called for rent regulation that would prevent landlords from imposing excessive increases and ensure that no household spent more than 30 per cent of its income on rent.

The organisation also proposed transparent enforcement mechanisms, tenant protection laws and penalties for landlords who violated rent regulations.

It called for the establishment of tenants’ unions in local communities, arguing that the unions should participate in determining and regulating rental prices.

Beyond rent control, the RSM urged governments to embark on a large-scale, publicly funded social housing programme to provide affordable accommodation for workers and low-income households.

It also called for the nationalisation of persistently vacant properties in major cities, subject to due legal process and measures to protect legitimate occupants.

According to the group, suitable properties that remained empty or were deliberately withheld from use should be brought under democratic public ownership and allocated as affordable housing.

It further urged governments to identify abandoned public properties and return them to productive social use.

The RSM said rent control alone would not resolve Nigeria’s housing problems, adding that governments must also invest in infrastructure in working-class communities, improve access to affordable building materials and curb land speculation.

The organisation also advocated the nationalisation of the building sector under what it described as democratic workers’ control and management.

The group outlined six major demands, including rent control through price caps in individual localities, a limit of 30 per cent of household income for rent, and mass public housing for workers and low-income families.

It also demanded stronger protection against arbitrary eviction, exploitative charges and discriminatory rental practices.

The organisation called for tenants, workers and community groups to have a greater say in housing policy and decisions affecting their communities.

The RSM urged tenants, trade unions, students and community organisations to unite in a mass campaign to pressure governments at all levels to make affordable housing a public priority.

“Decent housing is a fundamental social need, not a luxury reserved for the wealthy. Workers who build our cities deserve homes they can afford without sacrificing food, healthcare, education and other necessities,” the group said.

It concluded by urging Nigerians to organise and mobilise for policies that would guarantee access to affordable housing.