Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke
– recommends ways out
The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has called on Osun State Government to check the escalating rents in Osogbo.
Expressing deep concern over the growing exploitation of prospective tenants the state capital by house agents, it described the trend as part of a broader national housing crisis.
The body particularly decried the alarming rate at which tenants are being forced to pay outrageous and unjustified fees, often under the pretense of housing scarcity.
It said in a statement by the State Chairman of CDHR, Comrade Emmanuel Olowu, “What is being experienced in Osogbo is a reflection of a larger problem across Nigeria, where lack of regulatory oversight and poor government intervention has emboldened unethical practices in the housing sector”.
According to the statement,the standard and legal procedure for acquiring rental properties typically involves 10 percent tenancy fee, 10 percent agency commission, and a refundable caution deposit that aligns with the value and condition of the property.
It said, “Anything beyond these is clear exploitation and must be firmly resisted”.
Lamenting government’s failure to prioritize housing as a critical issue, it noted that the absence of proactive investment in public housing has allowed exploitation to flourish.
It therefore called on the Osun State Government and the Federal Government to take immediate action by:
1. Launching affordable housing projects to reduce the supply-demand gap fueling the exploitation.
2. Collaborating with the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) to sanitize the sector and eliminate sharp practices by unqualified agents.
3. Enacting laws that mandate all companies operating in the real estate sector to be registered with the NIESV.
4. Ensuring that companies whose trustees are not qualified Estate Surveyors and Valuers either employ certified professionals or operate under the supervision of one.
“The CDHR will continue to advocate for the right of every Nigerian to access decent and affordable housing without fear of exploitation,” Olowu declared.
The organization urged citizens to report any cases of extortion or unethical conduct in the real estate sector to appropriate bodies, including the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Nigerian Police Force, NIESV, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, and the CDHR Osun State branch.
It said, “We call on all relevant authorities to respond swiftly and justly to complaint”.
