The advice by Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, to young workers struggling with high rents to consider living with their parents or relatives has generated controversy in the state, with some residents describing the suggestion as unrealistic and insensitive, while others believe it is a practical way of coping with the rising cost of living.

The debate followed Hamzat’s remarks during a question-and-answer session on Nigeria Info FM on Thursday, August 20, 2026, while responding to a question about how a 22-year-old earning N100,000 monthly could afford a self-contained apartment reportedly costing about N1 million annually.

Hamzat advised young workers not to feel pressured to rent expensive apartments immediately after securing employment, urging them to consider living with parents or relatives or sharing accommodation until their financial situation improves.

“Don’t let us misunderstand ourselves as a 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,” Hamzat said.

He further argued that young workers should choose accommodation based on their income rather than trying to begin their independent lives in expensive apartments.

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

Hamzat also warned workers against spending an excessive portion of their earnings on accommodation.

“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.

The Deputy Governor also advocated mortgage financing as part of the long-term solution to Nigeria’s housing challenges, arguing that people should be able to spread the cost of purchasing homes rather than paying the entire amount at once.

But the comments have since triggered a wider debate over whether young Lagos residents can realistically achieve financial independence when rents continue to rise faster than many salaries.

For many young workers, the most controversial aspect of Hamzat’s advice is the suggestion that those struggling with rent should return to their parents.

Daniel Okafor, 29, a private-sector worker living in Yaba, said that the suggestion failed to take into account the realities of people who had already spent years building independent lives.

“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?”

Okafor said many young people in Lagos were already responsible for themselves and, in some cases, were supporting members of their families.

“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.”

For Chinedu Eze, 27, who works in Ikeja, the advice is even more difficult because his parents live outside Lagos.

Speaking , Eze said: “My parents are not in Lagos. I came here because of employment. If I return to them, what happens to my job? Am I also supposed to leave Lagos because I cannot afford rent?”

He said the government should concentrate on reducing the pressure on workers rather than asking them to abandon their independence.

“The people who are working and contributing to Lagos need affordable housing. If the rent is too high, government should ask why it is too high and what can be done about it.”

For many young workers, the difficulty is not simply finding a house but paying for it while meeting other basic needs.

A worker earning N100,000 monthly receives N1.2 million annually before expenses. If that worker pays N1 million in annual rent, only N200,000 remains for food, transportation, electricity, healthcare, communication and other obligations throughout the year.

This means rent alone would consume about 83 per cent of the worker’s gross annual income.

Even workers earning N150,000 or N200,000 monthly can find themselves under considerable pressure when rent consumes a large proportion of their income.

Blessing Adeyemi, 26, a worker in Ikorodu, said that the salaries of many young employees could barely accommodate the rising cost of living.

“People see your salary and think you are comfortable because you are working. They don’t know what happens after the money enters your account. You pay rent, transport yourself to work, feed, pay electricity and data, and before you know it, there is nothing left.”

Adeyemi said saving for the next rent had become particularly difficult.

“Sometimes you tell yourself that this month you will save N50,000. Then your mother calls that she needs money, somebody in the family is sick or you have an unexpected expense. You use the money. Before you know it, another month has passed.”

The housing crisis is also affecting young married workers who have more responsibilities than single employees.

A 34-year-old worker, Michael Ogunleye, living in Egbeda, said that the pressure was becoming difficult to manage.

“When you are single, you can manage yourself. But when you are married, you cannot tell your wife and children that there is no money because rent has taken everything. You still have to feed them, pay school fees, provide electricity and take care of medical issues.”

Ogunleye said some young families were being forced to make difficult choices between accommodation and other necessities.

“My rent is not the only thing I spend money on. Transport alone is another major expense. If you live far away because the rent is cheaper, you spend more on transportation. If you live close to work, the rent is too expensive.”

He said the situation was gradually affecting the ability of young families to save.

“There are months when you cannot save anything. You are only trying to survive until the next salary.”

While many young workers have criticised the Deputy Governor’s comments, some residents believe his advice makes financial sense.

Tunde Balogun, 30, a worker in Ikorodu, said Hamzat’s position should not be dismissed.

Speaking , Balogun said: “I don’t think Hamzat said anything wrong. If you earn N150,000 and your rent is over N1 million, you should know that the house is too expensive for you.”

Balogun said young workers should not regard living with parents or sharing accommodation as a failure.

“If you can stay with your parents for two or three years, save money and improve yourself, why not? The problem is that many young people want independence immediately, even when their income cannot support it.”

Another resident, Aisha Mohammed, popularly known as Mama General, said the Deputy Governor’s 40 per cent recommendation was reasonable.

“If you spend 70 or 80 per cent of your income on rent, you are putting yourself in trouble. You still need to eat and move around. So I agree with him that people should look for accommodation they can actually afford.”

Mohammed, however, said the government also had a responsibility.

“People should live within their means, but government should also make sure there are affordable houses. You cannot tell everybody to go and live with their parents when some parents are also tenants.”

For workers who cannot afford houses close to their workplaces, relocating to cheaper areas often creates another problem: transportation.

Emmanuel Adebayo, who works on the Island but lives on the mainland, told DAILY POST in a telephone interview that cheaper rent did not necessarily mean cheaper living.

“My rent is lower because I live far from where I work, but look at what I spend on transportation every month. Sometimes I spend two or three hours on the road every day.”

According to him, the choice for many workers is between expensive rent and expensive transportation.

“If I move closer to work, my rent will increase. If I stay where I am, transport will take a large part of my salary. So where is the affordable option?”

Why are rents increasing?

House agents, landlords and real estate managers have also attributed the increase in rents to the rising cost of developing and maintaining properties.

Kunle Akinyemi, a Lagos-based estate manager, said that the cost of construction had increased significantly.

“Land is expensive, building materials are expensive and labour is expensive. Cement, iron rods, roofing materials, plumbing materials and electrical materials have all increased. You cannot build a house today with the same amount you used five years ago.”

Akinyemi said landlords also faced rising maintenance and operational expenses.

“Some people think landlords just wake up and increase rent because they want to exploit tenants. That happens in some cases, but it is not the whole story. If the cost of maintaining the property increases, the landlord will eventually transfer part of that cost to the tenant.”

He, however, acknowledged that some landlords were taking advantage of the housing shortage.

“Where demand is high and houses are limited, landlords know that people will still pay. That is where government needs to increase the supply of affordable housing.”

An estate agent in Agege, Ibrahim Lawal, also known as Agent Presidoo, said demand remained one of the major factors driving prices.

“People want houses close to where they work, where there is good transportation, electricity and security. Once an area becomes popular, landlords know that tenants will compete for the available houses.”

Lawal said agents were also feeling the effects of the rising market.

“We are blamed whenever rent increases, but the landlord determines the rent. Our own charges are another matter entirely.”

Government’s housing interventions

The Lagos State Government has several housing initiatives aimed at expanding access to affordable accommodation and home ownership.

The LagosHOMS programme includes rent-to-own and mortgage arrangements designed to allow residents to spread payments over time. The state has also continued housing developments in different parts of Lagos.

The state’s 2026 Citizens Budget lists housing projects including the 504-unit LagosHOMS Sangotedo Phase II, Epe Housing Scheme, Ibeshe Phase II, Ajara-Badagry and the Egan Mixed Housing Scheme.

It was recalls that in May, the Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, also disclosed that the state was finalising plans to introduce monthly and quarterly rent payment options aimed at reducing the burden created by annual rent payments.

The state has also continued to promote mortgage financing and rent-to-own arrangements as longer-term alternatives to conventional annual rent payments.

But for workers struggling to pay annual rent today, the question remains whether these programmes are accessible enough and whether the available houses match their incomes.

Political reactions

Hamzat’s comments have also attracted political criticism.

The African Action Congress, AAC, governorship candidate, Oluwadamola Sol-Nuyi, rejected the suggestion that young workers should simply return to their parents or share accommodation, arguing that personal financial management could not substitute for government policy on housing.

“While responsible personal financial management is important, telling hardworking Lagosians who cannot afford housing to simply move back to their parents or share accommodation is not a housing policy,” Sol-Nuyi said.

He called for stronger government intervention in affordable housing, financing and infrastructure.

The Youth Rights Campaign has also criticised Hamzat’s comments, calling for stronger measures to address housing affordability and urging young voters to reject the APC in the 2027 elections.

For some residents, the controversy has become an opportunity to express frustration with the APC administration in Lagos.

Some argue that successive APC governments in the state have had enough time to develop stronger solutions to the problems confronting young people, particularly housing, transportation, employment and the cost of living.

Samuel Ekanem, a resident of Ajah, said that young people were tired of explanations.

“We keep hearing about programmes and policies, but ordinary young people are still struggling. Rent is going up, transportation is going up and food is going up. Then you tell us to go back to our parents. What happened to all the promises made to young people?”

Ekanem said the 2027 election could provide an opportunity for voters to express their dissatisfaction.

“If the government cannot make life easier for the people who are working, then people have the right to look for another option. That is why you are hearing people say APC should pack and go.”

But another resident, Kemi Adewale, said political arguments should not distract from the practical problem.

“Whether it is APC or another party, whoever is in government must solve the housing problem. We need houses that ordinary workers can afford.”

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