Rent hike: Lagos deputy governor advises young people to consider living with parents and cousins

The Deputy Governor of Lagos state, Obafemi Hamzat, has sparked a debate online after he advised young workers not to feel pressured to immediately rent expensive apartments, urging them to consider living with their parents, relatives or in shared accommodation while building their finances.

Hamzat gave the advice during a question-and-answer session with Nigeria Info FM on Thursday, August 20.

 Considering the alarming increase in house rents in Lagos, the deputy was asked how a 22-year-old earning N100,000 monthly could afford a self-contained apartment or mini-flat costing about N1m annually.

Responding, Hamzat said young people should consider accommodation that reflects their income rather than trying to start from the top.

“Don’t let us misunderstand ourselves as a people. We are cultural people. Do you understand? 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.

You know, go to Turkey, for example, and see how young people also live.”

He said young workers should not feel compelled to immediately move into self-contained apartments if their incomes could not support such accommodation.

“So, if you don’t start from the top self-contained, you don’t start from the top. You start from the average depending on,” the deputy governor said.

Hamzat also said residents should not spend more than 40 per cent of their income on rent, noting that workers had other expenses to meet.

“In fact, if you spend more than 40 per cent of your income on rent, it is too high because you must eat, you must buy clothes, you must do transportation” he said