The National Union of Tenants of Nigeria has urged Governor Siminalayi Fubara to urgently intervene in the worsening housing crisis in the Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor areas of Rivers.
The appeal is contained in a letter signed by the union’s executive secretary, Ceaser Enwefah, and addressed to the governor on Monday in Port Harcourt.
Mr Enwefah said the housing situation in the two local government areas had deteriorated into a full-scale crisis, affecting more than 1.5 million residents.
According to him, about 80 per cent of residents, including civil servants, company employees, self-employed persons and retirees, spend more than their earnings on rent.
“Civil servants earning the national minimum wage of N70,000 monthly (840,000 annually) are paying as much as N900,000 per year for self-contained apartments,” he said.
He said that rents for double-room apartments had increased from N120,000 to N520,000 annually, while rents for one-bedroom flats had risen from N300,000 to N1.5 million.
Mr Enwefah attributed the development to an acute housing deficit allegedly caused by indiscriminate approval of building plan amendments and the conversion of residential buildings to commercial use.
He also alleged a conspiracy among some landlords and unregistered house agents to exploit the shortage by imposing excessive rent increases.
As part of a measure to address the situation, the NUTN official called for suspending further conversions of residential buildings to non-residential uses in the affected areas.
“We urge Governor Fubara to suspend rent increases pending the introduction of new policy directives,” he said.
Mr Enwefah further advocated the deployment of a substantive or supervisory commissioner to the Rivers State Ministry of Housing to coordinate efforts to resolve the crisis.
According to him, previous attempts to raise awareness of the issue through the ministry did not yield the desired response.
“There must be urgent redress of the situation because affordable housing is a key component of the Fundamental Objectives and Directives Principles of State Policy contained in the nation’s constitution,” he added.
The union leader also cited international housing standards, which require housing costs, including rents, to be affordable and proportionate to residents’ incomes.
He warned that failure to address the crises could deepen poverty and trigger social unrest.
“Nigerians are sacrificing virtually all their earnings to pay rent, leaving many families in severe economic hardship,” he stated.
Mr Enwefah also appealed to the governor to consider the union’s recommendations as a roadmap for addressing the housing challenges facing residents in the state.
(NAN)
