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By 7am, the compound was already hot. Not from the sun. From tension.
“Landlord don give final warning o. If you no fit pay by weekend, make you dey find where to go,” Ngozi told her neighbor, Kola, in hushed tones.
Kola looked at his pregnant wife inside their tiny one-room apartment. He was two months behind on rent, and the landlord had just locked the tap. No water. Again.
Welcome to Nigeria in 2025 — where surviving rent is now a full-time hustle.
🏠 The New Face of Poverty: Rent
Forget food. Forget fuel. The new daily struggle for millions of Nigerians is how to keep a roof over their heads.
From Lagos to Onitsha, Benin to Abuja, the story is the same: “House rent don choke.”
Self-contained apartments that cost ₦200,000 a year in 2019 now go for ₦700,000 to ₦1.2 million, depending on the location. Landlords ask for two years upfront, add “caution fee,” “agent fee,” “agreement fee,” and still expect tenants to furnish and fix plumbing and wiring.
For government workers earning minimum wage, this is a death sentence.
💔 Kola’s Story: A Civil Servant’s Shame
Kola works as a clerk with a federal ministry in Abuja. He earns ₦41,000 monthly after tax. He and his wife moved into a one-room in Nyanya for ₦180,000 yearly. That was in 2021.
Today, the same room is now ₦400,000 —
So what does he do? He borrows. He lies. He’s now considering taking a loan with 35% interest.
And this is a man with a stable government job.
🔥 For the Unemployed? It’s a Time Bomb
Thousands of Nigerian youths are jobless or underemployed — riding okada, doing POS, betting on sports, or working gigs that pay peanuts. For them, affording rent is simply impossible.
Many resort to:
Squatting with friends or extended family
Staying in slums or uncompleted buildings
Criminal activity – Yahoo, theft, “runs”, even kidnapping in extreme cases
Early marriage traps just to secure shelter
🧠 The Real Damage: It’s Not Just Financial
Rent stress is destroying Nigeria from the inside:
Mental Health Breakdown: Constant worry over eviction causes depression, anxiety, and in some cases, suicide.
Corruption: Government workers and civil servants accept bribes just to survive.
Fake Marriages: Young women date older men just to “manage” a flat. Young men pretend to love just to move in with employed ladies.
Delayed Independence: Adults in their 30s still live with parents, unable to start life.
High Crime Rates: Armed robbery, yahoo plus, trafficking — the streets are raising bitter youths with no hope.
💸 What’s Fueling This Madness?
Uncontrolled Inflation: Building materials have tripled in cost. Cement, iron rods, paint — all unaffordable.
Greedy Developers: Most new houses are duplexes and 4-bedroom flats — for the rich. No focus on affordable housing.
Urban Migration: Too many people, too few houses. Demand overwhelms supply.
Weak Policies: No rent control laws, no enforcement of tenant rights.
Dollar Impact: Materials are imported, and the naira keeps falling.
🧾 And It’s Not Just Rent — It’s The Extras Too!
Paying rent in Nigeria today includes:
Agent fee – 10%
Agreement fee – ₦50,000 to ₦100,000
Caution fee – ₦30,000
“Consultation” – whatever the agent demands
Generator fuel – daily expense
Borehole charges, estate security fees, monthly sanitation
Before you even buy your first mattress, you’re already broke.
👶🏽 Starting Life Is Becoming Impossible
How can a young graduate start life if house rent alone swallows two years’ savings?
“I’m 32, still living with my parents,” says Adebayo, a software engineer in Ibadan. “Even with remote work, landlords don’t trust ‘online work.’ They want people who ‘go to office’.”
Dating becomes harder. Marriage is delayed. Dreams are abandoned. Bitterness grows. And the cycle continues.
✅ What Needs to Happen?
Monthly Rent Options: Just like DSTV. Why must we pay for 12 months in advance?
Affordable Housing Schemes: Government MUST invest in real low-cost housing.
Rent Control Laws: Lagos State tried — other states must follow.
Tenant Protection: Agents and landlords should be regulated.
Encourage Build-for-Rent Partnerships: Private sector can do more, with government incentives.
🗣️ Let’s Talk
Have you ever been forced to pack out because of rent?
Are you currently squatting or overstaying in someone’s house?
Did your relationship or marriage suffer because of house issues?
Tell your story. Let’s start a movement.
Because if we don’t fix this rent crisis, the future of Nigeria’s youths will be trapped — not in poverty — but in hopelessness.
📌 Nigeria deserves better. And it starts with having a roof over our heads.
