Ms Leilana Fartha, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Adequate Housing, on Monday urged the Federal Government to impose vacant home tax with a view to addressing housing challenges in the country.

Fartha at a news conference in Abuja, expressed concern over human rights crisis presented by poor living conditions in Nigeria’s informal settlements.

According to her, the informal settlements house about 69 per cent of the urban population.

She said: “Most residents in Nigeria’s ballooning informal settlements live without access to even the most basic services, like running water.

“And they lack any security of tenure, forcing them to live in constant fear of being evicted.

“My 10 days fact findings visit to Nigeria has presented an economic inequality in the country, which has reached extreme level and is playing itself out clearly in the housing sector.

“There is an estimated housing shortage of 22 million units.


“At the same time, newly built luxury dwellings are springing up throughout cities and made possible often through the forced eviction of poor communities.

“These units do not fulfill any housing need, with many remaining vacant as vehicles for money laundering or investment,’’ she said.

While urging the Federal Government to take urgent measures to address homelessness and poverty, Fartha advocated for a declaration of a nation-wide moratorium on forced evictions.

“Government must address the grossly inadequate housing conditions with the urgency and rigour befitting a human rights crisis of this scale.

“Apart from establishing a national commission to investigate gross human rights violations in the context of forced evictions, government should provide basic services to all informal settlements.

“And must increase the number of shelters for persons in situations of vulnerability,’’ Fartha said.

She further expressed worry that the Bill for an Act to provide rent control failed in the National Assembly.

According to her, when the bill for rent control first hit the National Assembly, it wasn’t ripe

“It is unfortunate that the bill died in NASS.

“The idea of controlling rent caps is hotly debated in many countries.

“New York just tried to have rent control laws passed; Barcelona is close to getting rent free as rent is actually frozen for some period of five to seven years.

“So, in many jurisdictions, they have started to impose vacant home tax.

“I support that kind of move from human rights point of view only where that money from the tax is directly put into the creation of affordable housing.

“In the case of Nigeria it could be used as fund to upgrade informal settlements.

“I don’t like a tax and you never see where the tax is going.

“There are other measures that can be explored, there are situations that homes are misappropriated given that the government has all the lands in trust,’’ she stressed

News9naija reports that Fartha will present a comprehensive report of her visit to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2020.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/09/un-special-rapporteur-urges-nigeria-to-impose-vacant-home-tax/amp/

Tinubu will not like this ..but on a serious note this woman is very short sighted , why punish home owners for housing Deficit they did not cause?

The problem is not imposing the tax but that it will be embezzled. We are still struggling with corruption in other areas of revenue generation in the country.

Nonsense

Supported

The idea is not impletantable.

I know an estate in Rivers state that is totally empty, why because of security.

The place developed then at a point everybody moved out of the neighborhood, because if they don't rob you in your house, they would ambush you on the road and kidnap u, so you are saying these people who fled there house for there safety should start paying taxes for running for there own safety?

If the government did what they were supposed to do would they run?

All these people abroad just because they have stayed there for long they think the politicians they see abroad spending money and the citizen's are the same, hunger dae for Nigeria seriously o, no dae use oyibo standards dae measure our own o, we are still very backward

C

Some houses build by some greedy people, are home for lizards, snakes, and bats.
Some of the abandon houses are for midnight meetings.

I wonder how house owners are now the problem of poverty in Nigeria. The government failed woefully in making life liveable in Nigeria by their greedy nature in them.

Even if the house become 20k a month many won't afford it when they basic salary is 30k

How will the taxing benefit a common man on the street cos those he-goats in power will still embezzle the money.

Problem of Nigeria is Security, epileptic power supply, bad roads, bad water, bad leaders... Fix that and common man will enjoy that country.

Well, what do I know anyway.

Better than all these stupid vats.

Many posh houses exists in Abuja that fits this taxation model.

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How effective is our economy?

Will that create jobs for our country?

Mk una face global warming leave us alone o

Makes sense..


Go to Lagos and Abuja, they are many waiting to be taxed

..


The idiots in Government have many vacant houses thus wouldnt want to go there...


Rather they will increase the price of Food, alcohol and put VAT on anything you purchase...


This bill will be against the law makers... so it is dead on arrival.

Totally agreed

Far better than bank charges

FarahAideed:
Tinubu will not like this ..but on a serious note this woman is very short sighted , why punish home owners for housing Deficit they did not cause?

They rent charges are so high that the middle class can't afford to rent . And the high class would rather build or buy theirs rather than renting.

Actually, bad economic policies of this administration have killed the middle class and leading more numbers to multidimensional poverty

Talking about lagos there, slum dwellers kicked out of their homes to make way for 'modern city'. bastard thieves and their insatiable greed.

This may lead to other problems

Why have they refused to find out and solve the major problem this country is having..federal government should give us constant electricity and water and many other things will fix them selves..

She is right,when you have some critical insight.. millions of houses are vacant..no one is taken it or the bigmen frivolity campaign

The houses are vacant because of the bad economy, taxing vacant houses will make prices skyrocket thereby causing more housing deficits!

We must first realise that we have a problem in this country that spans across all levels of our national life. Then we can start to give solutions!

Most of those houses are not vacant... For if you wander within, you'll find paper inhabits it's blossoms! La casa de papel. . .

Good idea

Ms Leilana Fartha, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Adequate Housing, on Monday urged the Federal Government to impose vacant home tax with a view to addressing housing challenges in the country.

see people wey dey reason without selfish interests,... why their country no go better?

I support this.....

Over 30% of houses in Lekki- Ajah axis are unoccupied.

I bet most of yhu didn't read before commenting as usual.


Turn on yhur brain switch and read again ......yhu will understand this woman speaking for the good of the masses.

If you come to VI, there are loads of vacant houses because the prices are high. If this tax is imposed, I'm sure vacant house owners will rather want to put someone in the house paying something rather than leaving the house and still paying tax on it. Wise move if our FG can implement.