C’ River lawmakers move to curb excessive rent charges
The Cross River House of Assembly on Wednesday moved to provide legislation to regulate property rental and leasing in the state.
The motion, which was sponsored by Davies Etta, member representing Abi constituency, is titled “Matter of Urgent Public Importance on the Unreasonable Hike in House Rents in Calabar Metropolis”.
Presenting the motion during plenary on Wednesday, Etta noted that residents of the state had been lamenting the unreasonable increments in the price of rents.
”As we speak, a single self-contained room on Marian Road now goes for N1.5 million per annum in Calabar South, while a one-bedroom apartment costs between N800,000 and N1 million.
“In Parliamentary Extension, State Housing and Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC) areas, tenants are being asked to pay N2 million and above for a one-bedroom or two-bedroom flats.
“This unregulated rental inflation is not only heartless; it is economically destabilising, socially dangerous and breeds homelessness, desperation and urban inequality contradicting the principle of fairness,” he noted.
Stanley Nsemo, member representing Calabar Municipality, in his contribution to the debate, emphasised the urgent need to regulate rents as well as the activities of housing agents in Calabar Metropolis.
Other lawmakers who contributed to the motion were unanimous in their support, noting that, housing was not a luxury but a basic human right which the 10th Assembly would strive to protect.
Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Elvert Ayambem, while restating the 10th Assembly’s commitment to making laws that would make life easier for the citizens, commended the sponsor and members for their concern towards the well-being of residents.
Ayambem noted that the incessant increase in house rent was putting untold hardship on residents of the state.
He said that in view of this, the house would soon commence the legislative procedures for a law to regulate house rents across the state.
