By Ruth Chris, Abuja
Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Nigeria’s housing sector, warning that soaring rents and exploitative tenancy practices are pushing millions of Nigerians deeper into hardship.
In an open letter dated July 27, 2026, and addressed to the President, Adeyanju said the worsening housing crisis, particularly in major cities such as Abuja and Lagos, requires urgent government intervention to protect citizens from what he described as a predatory rental system.
The letter, titled “Declaration of a State of Emergency on the Housing and Rental Crisis in Nigeria: A Demand for Immediate Constitutional Intervention, Inclusive Urban Renewal,” argued that access to affordable housing is a constitutional obligation of government and a fundamental human right.
According to him, the current state of housing governance violates the provisions of Sections 14 and 16 of the 1999 Constitution, which place the welfare of citizens at the heart of governance and require the government to ensure suitable and adequate shelter for all Nigerians.
“The current state of housing governance in Nigeria stands in stark contradiction to the supreme law of our land,” Adeyanju said.
He added, “When shelter becomes an instrument of extortion, the government abdicates its primary purpose.”
Adeyanju lamented that the rental market in Abuja and Lagos has become increasingly exploitative, with tenants compelled to pay between two and three years’ rent in advance in addition to excessive agency fees, legal fees, unregulated service charges and caution fees that are rarely refunded.
He accused some estate agents of collecting legal fees for documents never prepared by qualified lawyers, describing the practice as exploitative.
“The rental market has degenerated into an absolute wild west. Middle-income earners, civil servants, young professionals, and vulnerable families are routinely extorted by opportunistic landlords, real estate speculators, and unregulated estate agents,” he stated.
The lawyer also warned that urban renewal programmes would fail if they excluded low- and middle-income earners from cities where they work.
“A city cannot function without its artisans, its civil servants, its remote workers, and even its unemployed citizens seeking opportunity,” he said.
“When urban renewal simply translates to gentrification, mass evictions, and pricing out the essential workforce, it ceases to be development—it becomes social violence.”
Adeyanju urged President Tinubu to establish a Special Presidential Task Force on Rental Reform, headed by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, with a 90-day mandate to produce a comprehensive National Housing and Tenancy Policy and, where necessary, transmit an Executive Bill on tenancy and fair rent standards to the National Assembly.
Among the measures he proposed are a legal cap of 7.5 per cent on combined agency and legal fees, a five per cent ceiling on service charges, a one-year maximum for advance rent payments, and the outright prohibition of non-refundable caution fees.
He also recommended the creation of a digital tenant reporting platform to enable Nigerians report landlords and estate agents who violate tenancy regulations, backed by stiff civil and criminal penalties for offenders.
To address the country’s housing deficit, Adeyanju called for increased investment in low-cost public housing through tax incentives and public-private partnerships targeted at low- and middle-income earners.
He cited Ghana’s Rent Act as an example of legislation that regulates advance rent payments through an active enforcement mechanism.
Adeyanju concluded by urging the President to act swiftly, saying the success of the administration would not only be measured by economic reforms but also by its ability to protect the dignity and welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
“Mr. President, history will judge this administration not only by its macroeconomic indicators, but by how basic human dignity was safeguarded during times of deep economic transition. Securing shelter for our citizens is not an act of charity; it is a constitutional command and a fundamental human right,” he said.
He added that Nigerians, especially residents of Abuja, Lagos and other urban centres grappling with escalating rents, are looking to the President for “immediate, uncompromising relief.”
© 2026, Standard Focus. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from STANDARD FOCUS.