The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)has commended the Nigerian Senate for the successful first reading of a bill entitled “Advanced Rent (Residential Apartments, Office Spaces, etc) Regulation Bill 2022,” which seeks to regulate the payment of rent being imposed by landlords.
According to a press statement signed by the National President of the Union, Comrade Chris Isiguzo, the bill is timely and welcomed.
Isiguzo said that “This private member bill is sponsored by a former President of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Senator Smart Adeyemi. The bill if passed into law, will be of immense help to poor workers who live at the mercy of exploitative landlords.
“We note the fact that rent in Abuja is very exploitative because landlords have no obligation to spend rents paid in making such rented homes decent. Payment of rent is a callous enterprise as landlords exploit the fact that workers don’t have enough to buy their own homes.
“It is in the light of above that we support totally, this initiative by our former President which will make rent payment less cumbersome and burdensome for workers.
“We believe the National Assembly should expedite action on this progressive bill in order to ameliorate the sufferings of workers who despite the fact that they are paid salaries monthly, greedy Landlords insist on annual payment of rent. Exploiting tenants by landlords who support their acts of victimization by arguing in terms of demand and supply basis is unhealthy, and this tendency must be confronted headlong to reduce the suffering of poor workers”, the statement said.
