Shared roofs become the norm in Abuja as rents outrun incomes
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Civil servants, traders, students and young professionals across Abuja are splitting rent and sharing flats, not as a lifestyle choice but as an economic necessity as housing costs outpace stagnant wages.
Across Nigeria's capital, a growing number of residents are embracing shared accommodation as an economic necessity rather than a lifestyle choice. Civil servants, traders, students, young professionals and even families are increasingly splitting rent with friends, colleagues or strangers to cope with housing costs that have outrun their earnings.
The pressure is no longer confined to expensive districts such as Maitama, Asokoro and Wuse. It has spread to middle-income areas including Lokogoma, Gwarinpa, Lugbe, Kubwa and Jahi, and to satellite communities such as Mararaba, Nyanya and Gwagwalada, where many workers have relocated in search of cheaper housing.
Emmanuel Ijeh, a civil servant living in Karu Site, said his landlord has reviewed rent twice in four years, taking a room-and-parlour apartment from N350,000 to N1.5 million while his salary stayed unchanged. Esther Onwuzulike, who works in a government ministry, moved from Garki to Karu after the rent on her one-bedroom flat rose from N700,000 to N1.7 million; she is still asking her landlord to accept payment in two instalments after failing to find cheaper accommodation in areas such as Orozo, where buildings lack water and access roads.
Abubakar Habila, a Kubwa resident, said he has been forced out of rented apartments twice in four years and fears a third eviction when his current tenancy expires early next year. He accused some landlords of raising rents by 100% or more every two years and complained that agency and legal fees are often charged at 10% each, making it lucrative for agents to bring in new tenants at higher rates.
A land speculator and estate agent who gave his name simply as Ahmeed rejected the suggestion that agents drive increases, attributing them to inflation and to landlords treating property as an investment that must keep pace with the market. He argued that the situation is unlikely to improve until government strengthens urban planning and enforces housing policies that promote inclusive development, so that low- and middle-income earners are not priced out of the capital.