Tenants Groan Over Exorbitant Rents In Calabar

CALABAR—IF Shylock the Jewish merchant was a mere fictional character in William Shakespeare’s ,The Merchant of  Venice, such a figure has metamorphosed into a real life personality in the average  Calabar landlord.

The Calabar landlord smiles yet  looks indifferent and asks for more while his tenant is wailing and crying blood. To say that house rent  is expensive in Calabar is an understatement — rents are exorbitantly high and way out of the reach of most residents of the city.

The presence of tertiary institutions like the University of Calabar, University of Cross River State, School of Nursing and School of Health Technology  burgeons the population of the city every year. This is coupled with the fact that the city is landlocked which stifles the spread of the city to allow for more houses to be built. The yearly rising population struggles for accomodation in the few houses within the tight space in the  city.

A few years ago, a one bedroom apartment could be found for just 100,000, a one room self- content for 50,000 , two- bedroom apartment for 150, 000  while a three  bedroom could be found for 200,000 or 300,000 naira.  These rates, by all standard were affordable to most people. The students, civil servants, startup business owners, and the average low income earner could afford to find accomodation in the city.

All of a sudden, in the last three years, there has been a skyrocketing rise in the cost of accommodation such that the average low income earner, who, unfortunately are in the majority  can no longer afford to rent a decent place. A self -content space presently costs from 700,000 , a one bedroom now costs 1.2 million , two bedroom for 2 million naira.

These costs are made worse by the presence of lychees called  agents. They cook up all sorts of additional costs like, agreement fees, inspection fees, caution fees and agency fees.

These fees are added to the cost of the accommodation making it a herculean task for an average low income earner to afford.

The students are most hit with the runaway cost of rents  as most of them find it difficult to rent apartments . Some students numbering up to six pack themselves into one room making studying and sleeping very tedious.

“We are six in our room. We sleep in turns while some only keep their bags in the room and spend  nights  in the classrooms. It is as bad as that because anyone who sleeps in the classroom is meal for mosquitoes which are very numerous all over the city” . Akin Samuel, a third year student of Sociology in the University of Calabar told NDV.

Parents have had to send some of their children back to their villages and moved to smaller apartments.  “ We are eight in my family. I had to  send my two sons who have graduated but yet to secure employment back to the village in northern part of the state. At least I have built a house there and where to stay won’t be a problem. I had to move from the three bedroom we occupied to a one-bedroom apartment. It saves me the agony of only earning money to pay for accomodation because the landlord came up with 2.5 million naira rent demand from the 700,000 I was paying. It was too much for me”. Elder Moses Akpa told NDV.

Even as the houses are exorbitant, most of them particularly those in the centre of town  like, Marian,  Henshaw Town, Akim,  Yellow Duke, Atakpa, Goldie, Afokang, Ekpo Abasi, White House etc are all poorly maintained. The roofs leak,  structures old, poorly ventilated, cracked walls and rodents infested .

“I have experienced a lot of suffering these past three years. I have lived in three houses but the same story. The houses were built by parents or grandparents in the sixties and seventies and have not undegone any major renovation but one was made to pay through the nose”. Augusta, a PhD student lamented .

Worried by the high cost of rent,  lawmakers in the House of Assembly early this year  moved a Motion banning the activities of agents in the state .

The Motion was moved  by Davies Etta during a plenary session of the House , noting that self-contained rooms and apartments in areas like Marian Road,  Akim, State Housing , Calabar South and other parts of the city  have reached outrageous prices.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development which was given the responsibility to enforce the ban warned that any agent or landlord increasing rent without proper justification or approval will face strict sanctions, including losing operating licenses. The aim was to ease the cost of living and protect low- and middle-income tenants from exploitation but has the measure served any purpose?.  No, is the ready answer.

“Na government build house for me?  They should build their own houses  and collect peanuts. Those who made the law live in the moon? The cost of  everything in Nigeria has gone up , why should rents remain same as the  1960s. If you don’t want to pay you can build your house and live. Nobody will disturb you. A bag of cement that used to be 1,200 three years ago is presently 13,000. What are you telling me?”. Bassey Bassey Ene , a landlord stated