High rents: Lagos dep gov tells young workers to stay with parents

Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, has advised young workers struggling with the rising cost of accommodation to consider staying with their parents or relatives until they are financially capable of securing their own apartments.

Hamzat gave the advice during a question-and-answer session on Nigeria Info FM on 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 going for about N1 million annually.

Rather than taking on a rent that could consume a large portion of their earnings, the deputy governor said young workers should consider living with family members or sharing accommodation as a temporary measure.

“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 argued that securing independent accommodation immediately after getting a job should not be treated as a necessity, particularly when a worker’s income cannot comfortably support the cost.

Hamzat also cited living arrangements in other countries, saying, “You know, go to Turkey, for example, and see how young people also live.”

The deputy governor further warned against committing an excessive share of monthly earnings to rent, stressing that workers still have to meet other essential expenses.

“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.

His comments come amid persistent concerns over the affordability of housing in Lagos, where accommodation costs have placed increasing pressure on low- and middle-income earners.

Hamzat also proposed mortgage financing as part of the longer-term response to Nigeria’s housing deficit. He argued that home ownership should be structured around payment arrangements that allow people to spread the cost of acquiring property instead of paying the entire amount upfront.

The deputy governor’s position effectively places affordability at the centre of housing decisions, urging young workers to match their accommodation choices with their income while exploring family living, shared accommodation and mortgage financing as possible alternatives to unaffordable rent.