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Lagosians groan as rents hit rooftop
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Nigeria’s economic crisis is hitting renters in Lagos hard as landlords pass down the costs of spiralling inflation — pushing residents further out, upending children’s education and adding to workers’ already infamous commutes.
With a population of more than 20 million, the country’s sprawling, ever-growing economic capital has for years struggled to keep up with housing demand, with some 3,000 people added to its population per day.
But government-led economic reforms, including the floating of the naira currency and the removal of a fuel subsidy, have sent a shock through the economy.
In a city that scions of oil wealth, a solid middle class, and millions of informal workers all call home, rents are spiking on both Lagos’ richer islands and the cheaper — mainland.
“I might just have to find a way to plead with my landlord,” said Yemisi Odusanya, a 40-year-old cookbook author and food blogger.
After giving birth to twins last year, she’s doubtful she can find a better deal elsewhere for her family of seven, even after her landlord in Lekki raised the rent 120 percent.
“I’m planning to pack out,” Bartholomew Idowu, a transportation worker, said emphatically, though he wasn’t sure where he and his children would move.
The mainland resident’s landlord hit him with a 28-percent rent increase, from 350,000 naira ($232) per year to 450,000 — a significant sum in a country where the GDP per capita is $835.
Children changing schools
The government recently revised its inflation data, knocking down official year-on-year inflation in January to 24.48 percent, from December’s 34.80 percent figure.
That’s been of little consolation to ordinary Nigerians.
“The way out at the moment is to look for a way to pay,” said Dennis Erezi, a journalist, noting that his 31-percent rent increase is still cheaper than moving.
Jimoh Saheed, a personal trainer, had to leave his one-room flat in a middle-class neighbourhood in Ikoyi when his landlord more than doubled his rent to 2.5 million naira a year and a half ago.
Moving to the mainland meant he was further from his clients and his two children had to change schools and now pay for transport since they no longer live close enough to walk to class.
Late last year, his new landlord raised his rent by 25 percent.
“This is affecting me emotionally, it’s affecting me mentally, and in fact, physically,” said the 39-year-old, who said his earnings have not kept up with the pace of inflation despite taking on more work.
Lawyers say that rent hikes cannot be unilaterally imposed and are supposed to be negotiated between parties.
But laws are rarely enforced without the threat of a lawsuit, attorney Valerian Nwadike told AFP, noting an uptick in tenant-landlord disputes in the past year.
Luxury Market
The government hopes its economic reforms will eventually pay dividends, but for nearly two years Nigerians have slogged through the worst economic crisis in a generation.
There are also structural issues at play: high interest rates mean mortgages are out of reach for most, and developers face a bureaucratic regulatory environment, said housing analyst Babatunde Akinpelu.
Lagos is also home to an outsize number of Nigeria’s jobs — leading to an unending stream of people pouring in.
Even as cranes and construction sites whir across the city, many new developments are targeted to the high-end market — foreigners, Nigerians in the diaspora or oil sector workers, many of whom earn in dollars.
The result is a bifurcated housing market, where increased supply in the luxury sector doesn’t trickle down to the rest of the housing stock, said economist Steve Onyeiwu.
“Most of (Lagos’s) landlords are exposed to dollar-denominated expenses,” like loans or mortgages for properties abroad, even as the naira’s value has collapsed, said a director at Island Shoreline, a property management company, adding his own landlord recently tried to raise his rent 100 percent.
Improved public transit, such as the new rail line connecting Lagos and Ibadan, might alleviate pressure but for now there’s a “snowball effect” of rising prices, he noted, asking that his name not be used given the sensitivity of rent hikes.
With leases typically paid up front for anywhere between one and three years, both landlords and renters try to negotiate a good deal to hedge against inflation.
But the current spike in rents is “alarming,” said real-estate agent Ismail Oriyomi Akinola, noting 200 percent jumps on the wealthy Victoria Island.
“Good shelter is very key to every individual,” he said. “Not only for the rich.”
AFP
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT will tonight by 8pm appear on Arise tv as special guest.
The Lagos State High Court has nullified the installation and coronation of Ibrahim Adebowale Saliu as the Onise of Ise Kingdom in the Lekki Local Council Development Area of Epe Local Government Area.
The court also ordered the Lagos State Government to withdraw the appointment letter, staff of office and official recognition granted to Saliu following his installation on August 21, 2026.
Justice Yetunde Adesola Adesanya of the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, gave the orders on Friday, September 11, 2026, in a ruling on an application filed by Alhaji Adeniyi Atere and Mrs Idowu Adebisi Lana in Suit No. LD/0022PRA/2026.
The applicants had approached the court to challenge the process that produced Saliu as the Oba-elect and his subsequent appointment and installation as the Onise of Ise.
In her ruling, Justice Adesanya directed Saliu to surrender the appointment letter, staff of office and other official materials issued to him in connection with the disputed installation.
The judge also restrained him from parading or presenting himself as the Onise of Ise pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
The legal battle followed an earlier interim order issued by Justice S. I. Sonaike on August 13, 2026, restraining the Lagos State Government and other defendants from taking further steps to appoint Saliu based on a March 30, 2026 letter forwarding his name as the Oba-elect.
The earlier order was made against allegations that the selection process failed to comply with the Obas and Chiefs of Lagos State Law, 2015, and the Registered Declaration governing the selection of the Onise of Ise.
Although the interim injunction was expected to remain in force for seven days, the parties were scheduled to return to court on August 20 to report compliance and continue proceedings.
The court found that the relevant respondents had been duly served with the order and were aware of the pending case. It noted that some of the respondents had even filed a motion dated August 18 seeking to discharge or set aside the injunction.
Despite the pending proceedings, the installation and coronation of Saliu took place on August 21 at the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development in Alausa, Ikeja.
The applicants subsequently told the court that the state government proceeded with the ceremony in defiance of the subsisting court order. Photographs from the installation and coronation were among the evidence presented before the court.
After considering the affidavits, documents and submissions of the parties, Justice Adesanya held that the earlier injunction had been breached.
The judge further considered whether the court had the power to reverse an act that had already been carried out despite an injunction.
She held that although injunctions are ordinarily issued to prevent an action from taking place, the court can, in exceptional circumstances, grant a mandatory injunction requiring parties to undo an act already carried out.
The court relied on previous judicial authorities, including cases involving the Central Bank of Nigeria and a separate chieftaincy dispute, in reaching its decision.
Justice Adesanya consequently ordered the Lagos State Governor, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, as well as the ministry, to withdraw the appointment letter, staff of office and official recognition granted to Saliu.
The court also ordered Saliu to surrender the documents and materials connected to his appointment and to cease presenting himself as the traditional ruler of Ise.
It further set aside and nullified the installation and coronation held on August 21.
However, the judge stressed that the latest ruling does not constitute a final determination of who is legally entitled to occupy the Onise of Ise stool.
The orders are to remain in force pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit, which will address the wider dispute over the selection and appointment of the traditional ruler.
News
Nigeria, Serbia Renew Commitment to Stronger Bilateral Relations as Amb Braimah Presents Credentials(Photos)
The longstanding bonds of friendship and cooperation between Nigeria and the Republic of Serbia received renewed diplomatic impetus on Monday, September 14, 2026, as His Excellency, Engr. Abasi Ogwime Braimah, presented his Letters of Credence to His Excellency, Mr. Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Republic of Serbia, at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade.
The presentation formally accredited Ambassador Braimah as the Non-Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Republic of Serbia, with residence in Budapest, Hungary.
The ceremony represented an important moment in the continuing diplomatic engagement between Nigeria and Serbia, whose relations span more than six decades. It also provided an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of both countries to building on their historic ties and translating their longstanding friendship into deeper and more mutually beneficial cooperation.
In conveying the warm fraternal greetings of the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to President Vučić, as well as to the Government and people of Serbia, Ambassador Braimah reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening the bonds of friendship, mutual respect and cooperation that have characterised relations between the two countries over the years.
He emphasised the importance of expanding existing collaboration across areas of mutual interest, particularly political and diplomatic engagement, trade and investment, economic cooperation, education, culture and other sectors capable of delivering tangible benefits to the peoples of both nations.
The Ambassador further expressed his readiness to work closely with the Serbian Government, diplomatic community, private-sector actors and other relevant stakeholders to identify new opportunities for engagement and consolidate existing areas of cooperation.
His diplomatic mandate comes against the backdrop of a changing international environment in which stronger bilateral partnerships, economic diplomacy and people-to-people relations have assumed increasing importance. In this regard, the Nigeria-Serbia relationship presents opportunities for both countries to broaden the scope of their engagement and explore new areas of strategic and economic cooperation.
Ambassador Braimah’s accreditation therefore represents not merely a formal diplomatic requirement, but a renewed opportunity to advance the shared interests of Nigeria and Serbia through sustained dialogue, greater economic interaction and stronger institutional partnerships.
As the two countries look towards the future, the renewed diplomatic engagement is expected to contribute to a deeper understanding of their respective national priorities and create fresh avenues for cooperation in areas of mutual benefit.
The presentation of the Letters of Credence thus marks the beginning of a new phase in Ambassador Braimah’s diplomatic assignment—one anchored on friendship, mutual respect, economic opportunity and a shared commitment to strengthening Nigeria-Serbia relations for the benefit of both countries and their peoples.
Watch out as FCT minister Nyesom Wike appears on Arise tv today as special guest
Court Nullifies Onise of Ise’s Installation, Orders Lagos Govt To Withdraw Staff Of Office
Nigeria, Serbia Renew Commitment to Stronger Bilateral Relations as Amb Braimah Presents Credentials(Photos)
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