By Ajifa Ainoko
House rent in recent time has continued to witness a sharp increase in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, leaving many tenants struggling to cope with the rising cost of accommodation.
In an interview with Radio Nigeria, some of the tenants called on relevant government agencies responsible for housing to urgently intervene in the situation and regulate the soaring rent across the city.
A tenant, Ukpokwu Titus, lamented the sudden increase in his annual house rent from two hundred thousand naira to four hundred thousand naira, despite the landlord not carrying out renovation or improvement on the property.
Another tenant, Fancy Italo, said she had decided to relocate back to her village as she could no longer afford the rent of her one-bedroom apartment, which was recently doubled.
“As a struggling roadside trader, business has not been going well, and the hike in house rent has left me with no option but to return to my village”, she explained.
A civil servant, Pius Bode on his part urged landlords to be considerate when increasing rent, noting that salaries of many workers, especially civil servants, have not been increased to match the rising cost of living.
He also alleged that the activities of internet fraudsters, popularly known as “Yahoo boys,” may have contributed to the incessant rent increases, as they are often able to pay higher amounts due to their illegal sources of income.
However, some landlords defended the rent increase, attributing it to the harsh economic situation in the country.
A landlady, Omeiza Hassana, said the increase in rent was not deliberate but a result of the prevailing economic hardship affecting both landlords and tenants.
Similarly, another landlord, Uru Agbor, explained that the cost of building materials such as cement and Iron Rod have continued to rise, stressing that constructing and maintaining houses now requires huge financial resources due to the current economic realities.
Edited by Kalu Idika
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