Human rights lawyer and activist, Comrade Deji Adeyanju, has written an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, calling for the immediate declaration of a State of Emergency on Nigeria’s housing and rental sector.
In the letter addressed to the President at the State House, Aso Rock, Adeyanju described the current housing market in Abuja, Lagos and other urban centers as “predatory, hyper-inflationary and an erosion of human dignity.” He said millions of hardworking Nigerians are being crushed under the weight of an unregulated rental market.
He urged the President to intervene constitutionally, arguing that the crisis violates Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution which mandates that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.” The activist also cited Section 16 and Article 11(1) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to back his demand that the government must ensure “suitable and adequate shelter for all citizens.”
“Shelter is not a luxury product reserved for the highest bidder; it is a fundamental human right, an indispensable cornerstone of human existence, and a core, undeniable responsibility of government,_” Adeyanju stated.
The lawyer told the President that tenants in major cities are being extorted through demands for 2 to 3 years rent upfront, agency fees of 10% to 20%, and “legal fees” of up to 15% for documents often not prepared by lawyers. He also flagged unregulated service charges that “frequently exceed the actual rent” and non-refundable “caution fees” which he described as illegal surcharges.
Adeyanju warned that urban renewal without inclusive planning amounts to “social violence” because it pushes out artisans, civil servants and low-income workers who power the economy. “When urban renewal simply translates to gentrification, mass evictions, and pricing out the essential workforce, it ceases to be ‘development’ – it becomes social violence,_” he wrote.
He proposed six immediate actions for the President. These include the declaration of a State of Emergency on Housing and Urban Tenancy, the constitution of a Special Presidential Taskforce on Rental Reform with a 90-day mandate to draft a National Housing and Tenancy Policy, and a mandate for inclusive urban planning with zoning quotas for low and middle-income housing in all federal projects.
Adeyanju further asked for statutory ceilings to cap combined agency and legal fees at 7.5% of annual rent, service charges at 5%, restrict advance rent to one year, and criminalize unrefunded caution fees. He also called for the creation of a Digital Tenant Reporting Platform with an ombudsman, severe fines and criminal sanctions for violators, and an expansion of mass low-cost housing through social housing, tax credits and PPPs aligned with the real minimum wage.
The activist urged Nigeria to emulate countries like Ghana, which under its Rent Act, Act 220, limits advance rent and enforces regulations through a Rent Control Department.
“Mr. President, history will judge this administration not only by its macroeconomic indicators, but by how basic human dignity was safeguarded during times of deep economic transition,” Adeyanju concluded.
He signed the letter as Barrister & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and Former Convener, Concerned Nigerians.
Report By: NEWS CENTURY TV
