₦airaland Forum

Raskimonojendor:
Did you see the post they replied. Hypocrite.

JOSEPHINE OGUNDEJI examines how the hike in rents across the country has worsened the economic challenges tenants are going through

Wahab Ajibola’s lips curled into a wry smile, a delicate dance of emotions etched on his face as he lowered himself into the chair reserved for him at the other end of the table, as he just lost his father.

On a sunny afternoon in Magboro, Ogun State, he wiped his face with a swift motion. For a moment, he savoured the coolness of the restaurant. 40 years old, he exuded politeness, yet a palpable haze of bewilderment lingered in his eyes.

“On June 1, 2023, I dialled my landlord’s number with anticipation, ready to discuss the impending renewal of my lease. However, the ringing tone echoed unanswered, leaving me with an unsettling feeling. Undeterred, I sent a text message, hoping to convey the urgency of the matter.

“The following day, I received a call that would change the course of my plans. My father, a pillar of strength and love, had passed away. Amid the emotional turmoil, I felt compelled to inform my landlord about the sudden turn of events. With trembling fingers, I typed out a message, explaining my need to travel for my father’s funeral, an unexpected journey.

“His response, though delayed, arrived with condolences and understanding. Yet, intertwined with the empathy was the revelation that a brief meeting awaited me upon my return,” he told our correspondent.

A single father, who recently lost his father, found himself without a salary increase. Uncertain about how this lack of financial growth would affect providing for his only daughter, who is currently enrolled in a polytechnic school. He had been having conflicts with the landlord.

He recalled, “The following week, we had a meeting during which he informed me about a rent increase of an additional N100,000. I objected to this, pointing out that I had only moved in a year ago and emphasised the need for a minimum three-month notice for such a change.

“We could not reach an agreement initially. He proposed that if I decided to vacate by December 2023, I would still have to pay the old rent for those six months. I disagreed with this proposal. Eventually, we settled on a N50,000 increment. I transferred the previous annual payment of N300,000 to his account and agreed to balance him with N50,000.

“During the meeting, I inquired about the repairs he had promised to carry out before I moved in, and he reassured me he would address them. However, to date, those promises remained unfulfilled.”

According to Ajibola, on November 30, 2023, a heated argument ensued between him and his landlord when he cut off his water supply due to the outstanding N50,000.

“I insisted that he should fulfil his promises regarding the repairs before I pay the balance. In response, he presented a quit notice, urging me to sign a copy, which I declined but accepted a copy.

“I reached out to his lawyer to intervene and ensure the restoration of my water supply, which was eventually done. I agreed to move out of the apartment when my current lease expires on June 30, 2024,” he narrated.

Ajibola is not the one having issues with the significant hike in the country. Many tenants who spoke with our correspondent expressed their grievances about the skyrocketing rents in the country.

A data analyst, who lives around the OPIC area in Isheri, Ogun State, Jumoke Osunbiyi, stated that she was notified of a rent increase only three weeks before her rent was due.

She said, “When I was about to move in, the landlord said he was not using the money to feed his family, and he usually does not increase rent. Only for him, three weeks ago, say that in the area the least amount for the mini-flat I am living in was N800,000.

“I am planning on moving out of his house because of the short notice, and the increase was from N650,000 to N800,000, which is quite high. Where am I going to get that kind of money from?”

Similarly, an engineer, David Albert, noted that the rent of the one-room self-contain he was living in at Ilasa, Isolo was raised by N100,000.

“I was paying N200,000 before now but I was notified orally that N100,000 had been added to the rent. The funny part is I am still looking for how to comfortably feed and there is no increase in my salary. The economy is so discouraging,” he lamented.

“My landlord adds N100,000 every year to our rents. In February 2023, I paid N450,000 and in December, I was told that I would be paying N550,000,” an entrepreneur, Adesola Okanlawon, disclosed.

The Ogba resident said he could not cope with the annual increase in rent because of his salary.

He said, “I live in Ogba, Okera, and I cannot cope with the annual increase because as a salary earner, my employer is not increasing my salary annually. The reason they increase the rent is to frustrate the existing tenants to leave the property for new tenants to come in, to enable them to collect higher rent from the new tenants, inclusive of agreement and agency fee.

“Given this notification of a rent increase, I intend to relocate to a more stable residence where I won’t be burdened with escalating rents each year. This will allow me to plan more effectively for myself and my future family.”

Also, an accountant, Funmilola Sobowale, said he was served an eviction notice by his landlord.

I got into the apartment in September 2022. I paid N500,000 for a 2-bedroom apartment; I thought the rent would remain unchanged till 2024. However, the landlord came up with stories that he wanted to use the apartment. That is the general excuse these landlords come up with.

“I was orally told to move out three months before the expiration of my rent. I was shocked because as a tenant paying yearly rent, by law, I am entitled to a six-month eviction notice. It was when I approached him that he disclosed he was planning to increase the rent to N600,000. I had no choice because it was close to my workplace and the stress of paying for agency and agreement fees all over again, which can gulp over N200,000 or more, apart from the rent.”

Meanwhile, a landlord, Seyi Amusan, said the sudden increase in rents, especially in Lagos, had been largely influenced by the economic state of the country.

He said, “Landlords, who invested in their properties for the sake of getting annual returns to sustain their livelihood, suddenly woke up to the rude shock that the value of their rentals had dropped by about 50 per cent.

“The rise in the costs of building materials and construction has also been a major factor for the increase in the value of the property and rent. This has led to the need for them to increase rents across the board by about 100 per cent.”

Amusan claimed that the increase in house rents has made things difficult for tenants, especially employees, whose salaries remain the same.

The architect said, “Rising rental prices in Nigeria, driven by economic factors like high inflation and currency depreciation, are prompting tenants to seek more affordable housing options. This has led to a migration of residents from expensive areas to cheaper ones, with some even relocating from the Island to the Mainland. Some landlords, capitalising on the housing demand, are exploiting tenants, worsening the affordability crisis.”

Unreasonable rent increase

In an exclusive interview, the Managing Partner of The Law Suite, Prince Nwafuru, said the relationship between landlords and tenants in Nigeria was generally contractual.

He said, “The tenancy agreement typically provides the basis and extent of rent increment except where the relationship is not documented. It is easier for existing tenants to challenge unreasonable and arbitrary rent increases, where the relationship is documented in the tenancy agreement. The first measure is for tenants to insist on written agreements and have their lawyers review them before signing.

“The higher bargaining power of the landlord and the tendency to abuse such power in the course of negotiating the terms of the tenancy agreement is often checked by proper legal advice on the part of the tenant. The tenancy laws applicable in states in Nigeria equally provide some yardstick to measure the reasonableness of rent increase albeit subject to the agreement of the parties. For instance, the Tenancy Law of Lagos 2011 gives existing tenants the right to challenge unreasonable rent increases subject to the provision of the tenancy agreement.

“In determining whether an increase is unreasonable, the court is to consider several factors, which include the general level of rents in the locality or similar locality for comparative analysis; evidence of the parties; any special circumstances relating to the premises in question or any other relevant matter. Interestingly, this provision of the law is subject to the agreement between landlord and tenant.

Nwafuru noted that while landlords have a right to increase rent under the tenancy laws, such right is not exercised arbitrarily but must be subject to the agreement of the parties and the factors considered earlier.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Ikeja Branch, Femi Adedotun, said the Lagos State Tenancy Law had given a lot of latitude to tenants.

However, he emphasised that landlords maintained ownership of their property and, if not convinced otherwise, retained the ability to evict tenants by exploiting loopholes in the law.

He said, “Though the price is a direct product of demand and supply, the landlord has been magnanimous to state his intention of an increment of 100 per cent. The tenant can negotiate and count on past goodwill, in case it is non-existent.

“The tenant can seek redress through the court vide the above-stated law. If the tenant wins, he pays whatever the court agrees, which may not be up to 100 per cent as noted by the landlord. However, the landlord who might have felt unhappy due to the judgment can serve him a quit notice, which will eject him within six months, making the tenant pay the old price for a period not less than one year.

According to him, with the loophole in mind, the landlord can issue the quit notice six months before the end of the next due rent date, adding that this way he would lose just a few weeks in rent if he can take advantage of the loophole of the law.

Rent control

Historically, factors like land scarcity, high demand, and expensive construction materials have led to soaring rental prices in Nigeria, especially in Lagos State. This has prompted discussions about implementing rent control to address the issue.

Rent control involves the government setting a standard rent limit to make housing more accessible and protect tenants from excessive increases.

Many cities worldwide, such as New York City, San Francisco, Berlin, and Stockholm, have adopted similar measures to address housing affordability.

In Lagos, rental costs have surged by at least 100 per cent between 2023 and 2024, according to data from Propertypro.

This underscores the pressing need for rent control to mitigate the burden on tenants and ensure fairness in the housing market. By setting maximum rent levels and providing avenues for tenants to challenge unjustified increases, rent control can help stabilise prices and promote housing equity.

The residents of Magboro, in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have lamented the abandonment of refuse collection in the area by the Private Sector Partnership operators, popularly known as PSP leaving the community filled with filth.

PUNCH Metro reports that some residents lamented the dirty situation in their community as they noted that the PSP operators have not shown up for over three months to clear the refuse.

Our correspondent during a visit to the community on Friday, observed that some of the streets, usually bustling with activities, were no longer welcoming as they reeked of decaying garbage, with refuse piling up in waste bins.

Specifically, residents of the Abule Oba, Tosho, Gasline, and Makogi areas of Magboro had been left to grapple with mounting heaps of refuse which they said was because the PSP trucks failed to make their scheduled waste collection.


In separate interviews with our correspondent, some residents noted that attempts to reach the PSP operators to come and pack the refuse had been futile.

A resident of Abule Oba, Bola Adeyemi, told our correspondent that the operators blamed their faulty truck.

“It’s been over three months since we last saw a PSP truck here. We’ve called them several times, but all they tell us is that their truck is bad. How can a truck be bad for three months,” Adeyemi asked?

Another resident, identified simply as Olufunke, noted that residents had resorted to paying cart pushers to remove the trash.

“We have no choice but to pay these truck pushers,” she said as she pointed towards a group of young men hauling trash on makeshift carts.

“They are our only option, but they charge a lot, and they don’t always come. Some people just dump their trash by the roadside.”

A resident in the Makogi area who gave his name simply as Gbenga, told PUNCH Metro that the waste truck had not visited his street in a long time. “I don’t think I have seen their truck in over a month. It’s been a long time since they came to my street. People pay cart pushers to clear their refuse and pay about N1,500, N2,000, or N3,000.”

Meanwhile, our correspondent also observed that the situation in Abule Oba, Tosho, and some Makogi areas stands in stark contrast to other parts of Magboro, where residents reported more regular visits from the PSP.

“In our area, they come once a week, usually on Saturdays,” said Peter Adedayo from the Magboro-Akeran side. “We see the trucks come and go, but I can’t understand why they ignore other parts of the community.”

Another resident who lives in the Oke Afa area of Magboro also attested to the consistency of waste collectors in her area.


She said, “The PSP truck comes every week, usually on Saturdays. We have two trucks assigned to us.”

PUNCH Metro learned from some residents that the poor road conditions in these areas may have exacerbated the problem, making it difficult for PSP trucks to access these neighborhoods.

A man who identified himself as David, while lamenting, said, “The roads here are terrible, and it’s one of the reasons the PSP operators don’t come regularly. I have to burn my refuse, which is bad for my health,” he lamented.

Some residents have resorted to dumping their refuse by the roadside, leading to sights of garbage heaps and an unpleasant smell that pervades the air.

When PUNCH Metro reached out to the Community Development Committee, the spokesperson, Olatunde Oshinowo via a phone conversation with our correspondent over the weekend, confirmed the inconsistency of the PSP operators.

He also mentioned that the community had contributed money to buy a PSP truck but due to government arrangements, their truck was assigned to another location while a different truck was given to them.

“That is very true, there is an area that the PSP covers and there is an area that Magboro CDC also covers. We, the CDC, bought a truck for our community, but due to the government’s policy, our truck was reassigned. The PSP truck that was assigned to us hardly comes. We agreed in our CDC meeting that it is only when he comes that we should pay him because he doesn’t come often. People will bring out their dirt in black polythene bags and he will not come,” Oshinowo said.

A pregnant woman simply identified as Mrs Ogunbunmi has reportedly been kidnapped by unidentified armed men in Ogun State.

Mrs Ogunbunmi, who was said to be due for delivery, reportedly left her home in Oke Lantoro for the State General Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta before her reported abduction on a date not disclosed.

Our correspondent learnt that her husband, Ogunbunmi Lateef, received a WhatsApp message notifying him of his wife’s kidnapping by these abductors.

Confirming the incident, on Thursday in a statement on her X handle formerly called Twitter, the spokesperson for the state police command, Omolola Odutola, said the suspected abduction had been reported to the command.

Odutola stated, “One Ogunbunmi Lateef of Oke Lantoro reported that his pregnant wife due for delivery left home for State Hospital Ijaiye Abeokuta.

“He received a WhatsApp message confirming the abduction of his wife by unknown armed men”.

Gunmen on Thursday killed a Point of Sales operator in the teaching hospital area in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

The assailants also shot dead a wheelbarrow pusher hawking rice at the Oja Bisi area of the state capital on the same day.

Sources said that the gunmen, who came on a motorbike, shot the PoS operator and made away with his money and other valuables.

The source, who was familiar with the matter, said, “The PoS operator had just arrived for the day’s business when the gunmen attacked him and left him in a pool of his blood.”

The source also said that the police officers who arrived at the scene shortly after took the body of the PoS operator to the hospital.

Sources also said that gunmen on a motorbike shot dead the rice hawker in the market area.

Another source said, “Traders were shocked and had to flee for safety. The development forced traders and passersby to flee for safety.”

The Ekiti Police Command Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, who confirmed the incidents, said, “Immediately we got the information, we deployed our men to the scenes, the body of the victims had been recovered to the morgue.

“The Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, Mr Adeniran Akinwale, has ordered an investigation into the incidents so that those who perpetrated the incidents can be brought to book.”

The Ogun State Police Command has apprehended Tobi Shonibare and Odusanya Oni on charges of allegedly stealing electric cables valued at about N650,000 in the Isonyin community, located in the Ijebu North-East Local Government Area of the state.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the suspects were nabbed on June 7, 2024, while trying to sell the allegedly stolen items.

A community source, speaking anonymously because of the sensitivity of the matter, told our correspondent that the duo were first apprehended by Adeyemi Adeshina, a commander of the Social Orientation and Safety Corps in the community. The matter was then taken over by policemen from the Atan-Ijebu Division.

“The operatives of the SAFE corps usually patrol the area in the evening. But on Friday, during one of their routine patrols, along the Imowo area of the community, they saw Shonibare and Oni and became very suspicious of the duo.

“They were carrying two sacks. It was during their interrogation that they discovered the bag was filled with electric cables. They were not able to provide satisfactory answers when they were questioned by the SAFE corps members,” the resident informed PUNCH Metro on Sunday.

Confirming the arrest on Sunday, the spokesperson for the State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, stated that the two suspects had confessed to the crime and would be charged in court.

Odutola said, “The duo was interrogated after the matter was brought to our division in the area. They confessed to the crime. According to them, they stole the cable from a compound in the community. They will be charged after the completion of the investigation.”

Cable thefts have been increasing across various parts of Lagos and Ogun states in recent times. On May 30, PUNCH Metro reported that approximately four suspected vandals targeted a transformer serving Baale Street in the Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area.

Sources claim the suspects arrived in the community during the early hours of the day with a tricycle, stole components of the transformer, damaged some parts, and then fled the area.

Similarly, in April, our correspondent reported that operatives of the Lagos State Police Command arrested a suspected electricity cable vandal identified as Abu Ali.

The suspect was apprehended by policemen from the Pen Cinema Division during the early hours of the day after motorists alerted the state police command to his activities.

Commercial bus drivers plying the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway have raised the alarm over what they described as persistent threats posed by street urchins who disguised as tax collectors, otherwise known as “agberos,” at every bus stop along the expressway.

In separate interviews with our correspondent, the drivers lamented that the street urchins had compounded their daily struggles thereby making life difficult for them.

They described the urchins as extortionists who operate with aggressive tactics and a blatant disregard for human dignity.

A driver, Femi Yaya, who spoke with PUNCH Metro, said that apart from being subject to assault from the urchins, drivers were often forced to part with money through violence.

He said, “Every day, we, drivers, are confronted by the thugs demanding money and threatening us if their demands are not met. I have been harassed, beaten, and even robbed by these thugs.”

Alabi Awosile, another bus driver, also told our correspondent that the thugs demand money from every passenger they pick up at every bus stop.

He said, “They collect money per passenger we pick at every bus stop, and they do it aggressively.”

Another driver who simply identified himself as Augustine said the “agberos” had damaged his vehicle on several occasions.

“Most of the time, I always try to avoid them. One day, I drove off immediately after picking up passengers, and they destroyed my rear light.”

The Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the Governor of Ogun State, Kayode Akinmade, in his reaction when our correspondent contacted him, said that every driver in the state was obligated to report any violence or misconduct from the thugs to the appropriate authorities. Akinmade noted that the government or its agencies couldn’t act without an incident report.

He said, “There has been no report made so far, and if there’s any, the agency will take it up from there. Everyone affected should make an official report; the state can’t act blindly.”

PUNCH Metro had in a special report revealed the existence of agberos issuing tickets of doubtful legality, which they compel commercial vehicle operators to purchase across the South-West region.

Their worst manifestation is in Lagos, the richest and most populous city in the region and Nigeria as a whole.

Factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers and others impede commerce, cause traffic jams, and often render the state’s otherwise robust traffic laws ineffective.

helinues:
Hahaha, from the current labour who are disorganized.

Na play jor

Students of Divine Rays British School in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, have emerged tops in the just-concluded 2024 National Mathematics Competition held across designated states of the country.

A statement on Monday from the organisers, Catalyst Consulting, indicated that the competition, which covers all classes in the primary and secondary school levels was divided into four categories, including the lower primary category, the upper primary category, the junior secondary category and the senior secondary category.

It said the annual competition tests the ability and knowledge of pupils in Mathematics and offering them a platform to enable them excel in the subject.

According to them, Divine Rays British School was represented by its pupils in the primary section – Okonkwo Chiziterem, Ezievuo Kosiso S., Nwabueze Chikamso S., Okoye Emmanuella C., Okonkwo, Amarachi J., Uche Chiemerie Victoria – won six Gold medals at the annual tournament.

Speaking on the feat in an elated voice on Monday, the Headmistress of the school, Mrs Ifeoma Ucheama, said the achievement stands as a testament to the dedication and hardwork of both the learners and the school’s coaching staff.

Ucheama expressed sincere appreciation for the unwavering support and encouragement received from parents, guardians, and well-wishers.

She said, “The school is elated to announce the remarkable achievements of its talented learners: Okonkwo Chiziterem, Ezievuo Kosiso S., Nwabueze Chikamso S., Okoye Emmanuella C., Okonkwo, Amarachi J., Uche Chiemerie Victoria.

“This outstanding feat stands as a testament to the dedication and hard work of both the learners and the school’s coaching staff.

“Divine Rays British School extends its heartfelt gratitude to the organisers of the National Mathematics Tournament for providing such a platform for academic excellence.

“Special recognition is also given to the dynamic coaches who tirelessly guided and mentored the learners towards success.

“The entire management of the school expresses sincere appreciation for the unwavering support and encouragement received from parents, guardians, and well-wishers.

“These achievements underscore the school’s commitment to nurturing young minds and fostering a culture of academic excellence. Congratulations to the gold medalists and may their success inspire future generations of scholars.”

Dennisochampa:
This one make sense.... If na so e dey do we for no dey vex for am... He should stick with visiting and honoring invites....

Make e leave presidency alone

chopnaira:
Audio port since 2021...the investors will finish their documentation in 2098. Cross River just secured funding all within a year.

The Abia marsh port is similar to Peter Obi's monorail. Gbajue projects that will never see the light of day 🤡

chopnaira:
As expected, the first two replies to thread are ibos that would rather poke their noses into SW affairs instead of holding their own leaders accountable.

Just today, Cross River got spending approval for a deep sea port.

A street beggar, whose name could not be immediately ascertained, resident in Osogbo, Osun State, was shot dead during clashes by hoodlums fighting over a booty given to them by a property owner around the Gbaemu area of the town.

Residents of the area told PUNCH Metro during a visit, on Tuesday, that hoodlums from the Asoje and Egbatedo areas of Osogbo had been engaging in bloody clashes since Sunday over who should collect money from a man who recently bought a property in the area.

The deceased was said to have been hit by a stray bullet fired by the hoodlums around Asoje during a clash involving the hoodlums.

Also, during a visit to the community, our correspondent observed the presence of some men of the Anti-Cultism Unit of Nigeria Police Force, Osun State Command around Gbaemu junction, as some artisans were pulling down an old house said to have been bought by the new owner.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity because of their safety, three traders in the community said the crisis started on Sunday when some hoodlums from Asoje who had laid siege on the site of the old building when the roof was being removed by the new owner, attacked another hoodlum from Egbatedo, who had come to the area with some boys to ask for money.

One of the traders further explained, “The hoodlum from Egbatedo was coming from Station Road end and as he approached the Gbaemu junction, those hoodlums from Asoje, numbering about 30, bearing arms circled him. They attacked him with broken tiles and left him soaked with blood.

“The man from Egbatedo managed to leave the scene but he later returned with many other boys who carried guns, pestles, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons. By the time they arrived, hoodlums from Asoje had disappeared from the area. Several gunshots were fired leaving people to scamper into safety.

“From that Sunday, the entire neighbourhood has not witnessed respite. Police operatives were deployed but these boys have been going around with arms. During the clashes involving the two groups, a beggar going on the road around Asoje/Balogun Agoro Area was hit by a stray bullet and died. His corpse was later retrieved by his people for burial on Monday.”

Another trader, who also preferred anonymity for her safety, said, “Even this morning, you must have observed the presence of the Anti-Cultism men around the Gbaemu junction. Those hoodlums are still going around with arms. We are operating in fear. Government and security agents must do something urgently.”

When contacted, the Osun Police Command spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed that the Gbaemu neighbourhood had been experiencing unrest since Sunday due to clashes by the hoodlums.

She said, “Our men are on the trail of the hoodlums involved. Men of the Osun Anti-Cultism Unit are still there as we speak. We are looking for them. They are running but our men are on their trail. We will arrest all those involved.”

Putindbutt:
None of our business, if you want to buy from our neighbours and demanded their currency, that's good for them. We also enforce that only naira must be traded in nigeria.

Holluwhakemmy:
Buhari era not Tinubu read it again

PressMyButton:
Who is this illiterate?, do you know the meaning of Legacy?. Tinubu, Fashola handed back schools to the missions in Lagos, how is that a legacy to them?.

PressMyButton:
How is mission schools a legacy of Obi?

PressMyButton:
How is mission schools a legacy of Obi?