Residents of Kubwa in Bwari Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), say rising rents are forcing them to cut spending on food, healthcare and education.
The residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday, said sharp increases in rents had significantly reduced their disposable incomes and overall quality of life.
They said a larger proportion of their earnings now goes to accommodation, leaving little money for other essential needs and emergency savings.
According to them, the cost of renting accommodation had doubled in the last year, prompting calls for government intervention to address the situation.
A resident and father of two, Mr Abdulsalam Danladi, told NAN that his family had been forced to buy cheaper food and, at times, skip meals following an increase in their rent.
“My landlord increased our rent at the beginning of the year by almost 100 per cent, without any improvement to the house.
“The one-bedroom apartment that we previously rented for N800,000 was increased to N1.5 million.
“This means that we have had to cut down on many things, including basic needs such as food, to keep up with the rent,” Danladi said.
Another resident, Mr Romanus Orjinta, a civil servant, said the rising cost of accommodation had forced him to move his children to a cheaper school.
Orjinta said although the decision could affect his children’s education, he had little choice given the financial pressure.
“I know changing schools can affect their academic performance, but I really don’t have a choice at this point,” he said.
Mr Achadu Emmanuel, a tenant who works with a security agency, said he had considered moving to a cheaper area after his two-bedroom apartment was increased from N1.5 million to two million.
Emmanuel, however, said he decided to remain in the apartment because of the additional transportation costs associated with moving farther away.
He added that he had stopped buying new clothes, saying he was instead making effort to make his existing clothes last longer.
According to him, the rent increase had also reduced the amount available for emergency savings.
“Before, I was saving a reasonable amount for emergencies and unforeseen circumstances, but now it is difficult to maintain that,” he said.
Similarly, Mrs Josephine Daudu, a mother of three, said the financial pressure caused by repeated rent increases had affected her family’s access to healthcare.
Daudu said she had switched from private to public healthcare services because her salary had remained unchanged in spite of the increase in housing costs.
“I was paying N1.4 million for a two-bedroom flat where I live with my three children, but the rent has now been increased to two million.
“Since my salary has remained the same in spite of the increased housing cost, I have moved from accessing private healthcare to public healthcare services,” she said.
On his part, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwobu, a landlord, attributed the rising cost of rent to increases in building materials, infrastructure development and the general cost of maintaining properties.
Nwobu said the high cost of providing access roads and other amenities had also contributed to increased rental charges.
“Both landlords and tenants are currently facing economic pressure.
“While landlords need rental income to maintain their properties, tenants are also struggling to make ends meet due to inflation,” he said.
He explained that demand for accommodation in Abuja had also increased due to the influx of people into the city and changes in household circumstances.
Other residents who spoke with NAN called for urgent government action to curb arbitrary increases in rents by landlords and agents.
They said tenants would continue to face exploitation unless effective measures were introduced to regulate the sector.
“The government needs to pass legislation to address the situation because this is becoming unbearable.
“It is unacceptable that landlords are increasing rents at ridiculously high rates and nobody is saying anything,” said Mafeng Gani.
NAN reports that residents’ experiences highlight the growing challenge of balancing rising rents with other basic needs, particularly for workers whose incomes have not increased at the same pace as the cost of living.
