By Lawrence Egede
The Ebonyi State Government’s recent decree sacking real estate agents over rising rents may sound tough, but it misses the point entirely. Agents are only errand boys in this racket. The real tormentors of tenants are landlords, their estate lawyers, and the cartel of professional property managers who have turned shelter into a cash cow.
Walk through Abakaliki today and ask tenants about rent, you’ll hear stories of anguish and despair. Families now spend fortunes to keep a roof over their heads. My son pays ₦150,000 for a single room in Lagos, yet Ebonyi tenants are often hit with reckless rent hikes—sometimes doubled or tripled overnight. Instead of facing the culprits head-on, the government is shadowboxing with agents, the least powerful players in the chain.
Let’s be clear: landlords are the principal exploiters. They profit obscenely, aided by estate lawyers who draft tenancy agreements that suffocate tenants and shield landlords from responsibility. Add politicians who moonlight as “super landlords,” many of them in government, and you have a cartel feeding fat while ordinary people drown in debt.
Yes, Nigeria’s battered economy has worsened the housing crisis. Building materials—cement, iron rods, roofing sheets are outrageously expensive. But that cannot justify the daylight robbery tenants suffer in Ebonyi. This is not economics; it is greed.
If Governor Francis Nwifuru is truly serious, cosmetic decrees won’t cut it. Ebonyi needs real policy, bold reform, and political will. The solutions are simple:
Pass a Rent Control Law. Peg rents across categories of accommodation to protect tenants from arbitrary hikes.
Convene Stakeholders. Bring landlords, estate lawyers, agents, and tenants’ associations to the same table. Everyone must state their challenges and responsibilities.
Enforce Penalties. Sanction exploitative landlords. Name and shame defaulters to puncture the arrogance of this cartel.
Balance with Humanity. Shelter is a basic right. Policy must reflect justice, fairness, and human dignity.
Anything less is cowardice. Ebonyi people deserve action, not theatrics. Governor Nwifuru must stop scapegoating agents, call out landlords, and control rents decisively.
To God be the glory.
