By Abdul Lauya
House rent in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, has become unbearable for many residents, prompting fresh calls for urgent government intervention.
Barrister Tersoo Aande, a legal practitioner based in Makurdi, described the situation as a crisis fueled by unchecked exploitation from landlords.
He said landlords are charging outrageous amounts without regard for the economic hardships facing tenants.
“Families can barely afford to feed, yet they’re expected to pay rising rent for substandard housing,” Aande stated.
He noted that in Makurdi today, the cost of a self-contained apartment, a one-bedroom, two-bedroom, or three-bedroom flat has soared beyond what civil servants and farmers can afford.
Makurdi, like most of Benue State, is home to low-income earners, civil servants, and subsistence farmers, making these rising costs deeply troubling.
“Housing is a basic right, not a tool for enriching a few,” Aande said, calling the current trend an injustice against hardworking Nigerians.
He expressed concern that the rent crisis, if left unchecked, will force many into homelessness.
He raised the alarm in a post shared on his verified Facebook page, drawing public attention to the worsening housing burden in the state.
Aande urged the Benue State Government, lawmakers, and housing agencies to urgently regulate house rents and protect the vulnerable.
He also challenged tenants to test their rights in court rather than remain passive in the face of exploitation.
“Why are tenants so docile?” he asked. “You can successfully assert your rights through the legal system.”
His comments come amid growing national frustration over rising rents in cities and rural communities across Nigeria.
Earlier this month, Eye Reporters published a story titled “Ebonyi Gov Moves to Outlaw Rent Agents from 2026”, which exposed a troubling pattern of rent inflation by agents.
The report highlighted how rent agents in Ebonyi add separate fees, including sighting fees and agent fees on top of already high rent set by landlords.
This practice, according to critics, pushes rent even further out of reach for everyday Nigerians.
Aande’s concerns mirror what millions of tenants face in other states such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano, where housing demand far outweighs supply.
In many of these cities, landlords operate without oversight, increasing rent arbitrarily in an economy where wages remain largely stagnant.
Experts warn that without urgent intervention, Nigeria is headed for a full-blown housing affordability crisis.
Barrister Aande stressed that regulation is not only necessary but long overdue to curb exploitation in the rental market.
Tenants, he said, deserve fairness, dignity, and access to affordable housing regardless of income level.
He called on the government to prioritize rent control measures and public housing policies that serve the poor, not just the privileged.
Without strong action, Aande warned, the shelter crisis will continue to push more Nigerians deeper into poverty.
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