Ekiti residents decry surge in house rents, blame ‘Yahoo Boys’ for hike

Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
Residents of Ado-Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State, are grappling with an escalating housing crisis as rent prices soar amidst the country’s ongoing economic hardship, fuelled by persistent increases in fuel prices.
Investigations by Weekend Hope reveal that the housing shortage in the state capital has become a significant burden for students, civil servants in federal and state employment, and those in the informal sector.
Findings indicate that the cost of renting a single room, which previously ranged from N100,000 depending on location, has now surged to between N150,000 and N250,000.
Similarly, a one-room, self-contained apartment that used to cost N150,000 to N200,000 now commands between N250,000 and N350,000. Rent for two- and three-bedroom flats has skyrocketed to over N400,000, depending on the area.
Some residents, particularly civil servants, have attributed this alarming rent increase to the activities of suspected ‘Yahoo Boys,’ who are willing to pay any price set by unscrupulous agents. This, they warned, could push many struggling tenants into depression if the state government fails to intervene promptly.
Mr Adewale Omodara, a resident along the Satellite Campus area of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, expressed his frustration: “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 a one-room self-contained apartment, but I woke up one morning and my landlord said the house rent has increased to N200,000 without long notice.”
Another resident, Aderonke Ojo, called on the government to introduce policies to curb the excesses of landlords.
“It was done in Lagos State; house rent was reduced to a minimum. I admonish the Ekiti State Government to implement this type of policy to assist the numerous residents of the state,” she said.
She also accused some landlords of deliberately exploiting tenants. “Apart from the exorbitant and increasing house rent, electricity and water are other problems.
“Just because we don’t have any options, they keep treating us like rags.
“Government should please come to our aid. I believe when the government builds housing estates for residents and civil servants at a subsidised rate, it will ameliorate the suffering of the masses and stop the consistent exploitation by landlords,” she added.
On his part, Mr Owodunni Ajayi, an estate manager in Ado-Ekiti, lamented that many landlords in the state capital now prefer to lease their properties to suspected internet fraudsters, popularly known as ‘Yahoo Boys,’ instead of legitimate tenants.
According to him, the fraudsters can afford the exorbitant rents, leaving genuine tenants at a disadvantage. He urged the state government to intervene, describing the landlords’ actions as exploitative and detrimental to law-abiding citizens.
“This unhealthy development encourages crime in the state,” he warned, adding that landlords often fail to upgrade their properties to justify the high rents they charge.
“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,” Ajayi noted.
He called for immediate measures to regulate rent prices and ensure fairness in housing allocations across the state.