…Activist backs deputy governor, says counsel is bitter truth
LAGOS — REACTIONS have continued to trail the advice by Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, that young workers struggling with high rents should consider living with their parents or relatives
While some residents described the advice as unrealistic and insensitive to the realities facing young workers in Lagos, others said it was a practical response to the rising cost of accommodation and the need to live within one’s means
Hamzat gave the advice during an interview on Nigeria Info FM while responding to concerns over the ability of young workers to afford accommodation in Lagos
He was asked how a 22-year-old earning N100,000 monthly could afford a self-contained apartment or mini-flat costing about N1 million annually
The deputy governor advised young workers to avoid taking on rents beyond their financial capacity, saying they could consider living with parents or relatives or sharing accommodation until their income improved
He said: “So, if I start work as a young person and I’m not married, a lot of us live with our parents A lot of us live with our cousins.”
Hamzat also advised residents to choose accommodation based on their income and warned against spending an excessive proportion of their earnings on rent
“You know, go to Turkey, for example, and see how young people also live,” he said
According to him, spending more than 40 per cent of one’s income on rent was excessive because other basic needs, including food, clothing and transportation, must also be met
The deputy governor also advocated mortgage financing as part of the long-term solution to the housing crisis, saying residents should be able to spread the cost of home ownership rather than pay the full cost upfront
However, the advice has triggered criticism, particularly from young workers who argued that many had already established independent lives and could not simply return to their parents because of rising rents
A resident, Abiola David, said the suggestion failed to reflect the circumstances of young Lagos residents who were already financially responsible for themselves and their families
“I left my parents’ house several years ago I got a job, started paying my rent, bought the things I needed and built my life around my work. Now because rent has increased, somebody is telling me to go back to my parents. How does that work?” he asked.
David said many young workers also supported their families financially, making returning to their parents an impractical solution
“We are not just paying rent Some of us send money home every month. Some are paying school fees for younger siblings. Some have parents who depend on them. So returning home is not necessarily a solution,” he added.
Also reacting, the governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, in the 2027 election, Fusho Doherty, faulted Hamzat’s position, describing it as evidence of what he called the government’s disconnect from the hardship faced by Lagos residents
Doherty said: “It is further evidence that this government is disconnected from the pains, aspirations and deprivations of the people
“With the attitude that is clearly conveyed by these unfortunate comments from Dr Hamzat, how can we expect any significant actions to address the present suffering which, by the way, has arisen due to the failure of Lagos State Government’s housing policies over the last three decades under APC?”
But human rights activist, Comrade Nelson Ekujumi, defended the deputy governor, describing the advice as an uncomfortable but practical reality
Ekujumi said: “The truth of the matter is that Dr Kadri Obafemi’s advice is the bitter truth, but like we all know, truth is bitter, so it will not resonate with those who don’t want to face the fact
“If you cannot afford the rent that you desire, is it not advisable for you to live with your parents or relatives pending when you will be financially stable? After all, he has not advised anyone to go and live under the bridge”
He added that those dissatisfied with the advice were free to make their own decisions regarding accommodation
The controversy has renewed debate over Lagos’ housing crisis, rising rents and the affordability of accommodation for low- and middle-income workers in the state