Ado Ekiti residents laments ‘crazy’ hike in house rent, blames Yahoo Boys
From News Editor
Housing deficit is causing untold hardship on the people of Ado Ekiti, the State capital, amid the present economic hardship in the country caused by persistent increase in the price of fuel.
The issues of housing has become a nightmare indigene and civil servants working with the Federal and the State governments as well as those in the informal sector.
Kayemo News report that a single room that used to be N100,000 depending on the area now goes for as high as N150,000 to N250,000, depending on the area of the state capital.
Also, one room and parlour self contain that is usually N150,000 to N200,000 is now going for N250,000 to N350,000, while two and three bedroom flat is above N400,000 depending on location.
Some residents, including civil servants, blamed the ‘crazy’ hike in rent to the activities of the Yahoo Boys who pays any rate dictated to them by unscrupulous agents.
They warned that the hike in rent, if not checked immediately by the State Government, could lead many of them into depression.
Mr Soji Omodara, who resides along the Poly satellite campus area of Ilawe road, said, “it is alarming the way landlords are increasing the prices of house rent in Ado Ekiti without considering the financial capabilities of the tenant.
“Today in the country, we are faced with hardship, many of us can’t send our children to school again. Now, house rent has hit the roof. Who did we offend in this country?
“Imagine that I was paying N100,000 for one room self contain, but I woke up one morning and my landlord said the house rent has increased to N200,000 without without long notice.
Another resident, who identified herself as Aderonke Ojo averred that the government should come up with a policy that would checkmate the excesses of landlords in the state.
According to her, some landlords were deliberately frustrating and inflicting pains on their tenants.
“Just because we don’t have any option, they keep treating us like rags.
“Government should please come to our aid. I believe when the government builds housing estate for residents and civil servants at a subsidized rate, it will ameliorate the sufferings of the masses and stop the consistent exploitation of the people by landlords,” she opined.
Landlords prefer renting houses to Yahoo Boys – Estate Manager cries out
Mr Owodunni Ajayi, an Estate Manager says many landlords in Ekiti State State Capital, now prefer to rent their houses to suspected advance fee fraudsters (Yahoo Boys), as tenants.
This, according to him, is because the yahoo boys can afford such exorbitant rent at the detriment of tenants running legitimate and genuine businesses.
In a chat with Kayemo News recently, the estate expert, who appealed to the state government to urgently check the excesses of the landlords, noted that their action meant exploitation of genuine potential tenants.
He argued that the unhealthy development encouraged crime in the state.
He also expressed concern that as the landlords charged exorbitant rent, they failed to add value to their houses to make such structures conducive for the tenants.
He said: “It is quite unfortunate that landlords in Ekiti and its environs prefer to give their houses to yahoo boys instead of law abiding citizens.
“Since they now know that staying in a hotel will expose their nefarious activities, they now prefer renting houses.”