Shared Roofs: Inside Abuja’s ‘Strange’ Housing Reality

• It Is Not Our Problem — Wike Speaks

• Expert Proffers Solution, Appeals To Landlords

The first sign of Abuja’s deepening housing crisis is no longer found in estate listings or “To Let” signs. It is visible behind the closed doors of apartments where strangers have become roommates, living rooms have become bedrooms, and privacy has become a luxury many can no longer afford.

Across Nigeria’s capital, a growing number of residents are embracing shared accommodation, not as a lifestyle choice but as an economic necessity. Civil servants, traders, students, young professionals and even families are increasingly splitting rent with friends, colleagues or strangers to cope with rental costs that have risen far faster than incomes.

For many, what was once considered a temporary arrangement has become the new normal. The development reflects the widening gap between housing costs and the earning power of ordinary residents. While Abuja continues to expand, access to affordable housing appears to be shrinking, leaving thousands caught between soaring rents, stagnant wages and an unforgiving cost-of-living crisis.

Poor Salaries, Rising Rents

Housing has become one of the biggest financial burdens facing Abuja residents.

The challenge extends beyond expensive neighbourhoods such as Maitama, Asokoro and Wuse. It now affects middle-income districts, including Lokogoma, Gwarinpa, Lugbe, Kubwa and Jahi, as well as satellite communities such as Mararaba, Nyanya and Gwagwalada, where many workers have relocated in search of cheaper accommodation.

Yet the migration has done little to ease the pressure.

Many landlords have repeatedly increased rents over the past few years, citing inflation, rising building-material costs, exchange-rate volatility, maintenance expenses, and higher operational costs.

For tenants, however, the explanations offer little comfort.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP, Emmanuel Ijeh, a civil servant living in Karu Site, said the pace of rent increases had become unbearable.

“In the past four years, my landlord has reviewed our rent twice. A room-and-parlour apartment for which I previously paid N350,000 now goes for N1.5 million, yet our salaries have remained the same during that period,” he said.

Another tenant, Mrs Esther Onwuzulike, lamented the high rents, which she said were beyond the reach of many residents, even outside the city centre.

Onwuzulike, who works in a government ministry, said she previously lived in Garki but had to relocate to Karu, a suburb of Abuja, because of rising rent.

She said the rent on the one-bedroom flat she shares with her family had recently increased from N700,000 to N1.7 million.

“I am still pleading with my landlord to accept payment in two instalments after my efforts to secure more affordable accommodation failed. I went as far as Orozo, where most of the buildings lacked basic amenities such as water and access roads. Security is also another issue. So moving out is not an option for me,” she said.

While acknowledging the infrastructure development under the current administration, which she believes has contributed to rising rents, Onwuzulike called on the Federal Government and the FCT Administration to prioritise affordable housing.

“It will be good if the federal and state governments can also direct attention towards providing affordable housing instead of leaving it to developers who are interested only in their profit margins.

“There is so much land in the FCT that can be developed for low-income earners. We are not finding it funny at all,” she said.

Her experience mirrors that of many workers whose salaries have remained largely unchanged despite inflation that has significantly eroded their purchasing power.

For many households, rent now consumes a substantial portion of annual income, leaving little for transportation, healthcare, education, food or savings.

The result is a painful recalibration of priorities.

Agents, Landlords Blamed

A resident of Kubwa, another suburb of the FCT, blamed estate managers and agents for contributing to rising rents, arguing that they push for increases to earn higher commissions.

Abubakar Habila said he had been forced out of rented apartments twice in the past four years and feared facing a third eviction when his current tenancy expires early next year.

He accused some Abuja landlords of repeatedly increasing rents by 100 per cent or more every two years, leaving tenants with the choice of paying the new rates or moving out. He also complained about agency and legal fees, which he said were often charged at 10 per cent each.

According to him, the arrangement makes it lucrative for agents to secure new tenants at higher rates, often at the expense of existing occupants.

‘Problem Beyond Agents’

However, a land speculator and estate agent who identified himself simply as Ahmeed said inflation was the main reason for the rise in rents.

A graduate of polymer science, he said he had been unable to secure a job or raise the capital needed to start a business, leaving property agency as his means of survival.

“As a graduate of Polymer Science, it has been impossible to get a job, and I do not have the capital to start a business. So this is how I survive. Yes, we make money, but I do not think any agent can influence a landlord to increase rent on a property.

“However, for many landlords, it is an investment, and they have to keep up with the trend. Inflation affects everything in this country,” he said.

He added that the situation might not improve until the government strengthened urban planning and enforced housing policies that promoted inclusive development, ensuring that low- and middle-income earners were not priced out of the nation’s capital.

Shared Apartments

Unable to afford apartments on their own, residents are increasingly pooling resources to cover rental costs.

Two or three working adults now occupy apartments originally intended for a single family. Friends jointly rent two-bedroom flats, while colleagues divide annual rent payments among themselves.

Some tenants convert living rooms into makeshift bedrooms, while others partition spaces with curtains or temporary walls to accommodate more occupants.

Estate agents say enquiries about shared accommodation have increased considerably over the past two years, particularly among first-time workers and junior civil servants.

Grace Nwosu, 34, a technology professional living in Karu Site, shares a two-bedroom apartment with three other women. She said the arrangement had helped her manage costs but had come at the expense of her privacy.

“I never imagined I would be sharing a flat with people I did not know before. At first, it was to save money, but now it feels like I have completely lost my privacy.

“You have to wait for someone to finish using the bathroom. You cannot invite family over without informing everyone, and even making a phone call at night becomes difficult because someone is always sleeping.

“It has taught me patience, but honestly, it is emotionally draining. You have to be tolerant because there will always be somebody in the room who behaves funnily. There are problems here and there, but at the end of the day, it is a shared responsibility, and everybody gets to survive,” she said.

Abdul Ibrahim, 32, a civil servant living with two colleagues in Lokogoma, said that sharing accommodation had become necessary due to rising rents.

“The rent of N2.3 million for a two-bedroom flat became impossible to pay alone, so we decided to split it three ways. Financially, it helps, but sharing a home is different from sharing an office.

“We have had arguments over electricity bills, food in the fridge, cleaning schedules and visitors. Sometimes you return from work looking for peace and instead meet tension inside your own house,” he said.

Chidinma Okeke, 27, a banker living in Gwarinpa, identified security as her biggest concern.

“The biggest challenge is security. You are forced to trust people simply because you need somewhere affordable to stay. Every time someone brings a new friend into the apartment, I become uncomfortable because you do not really know people’s backgrounds.

“I lock my room whenever I step out, even if I am only going downstairs,” she said.

Satellite Towns No Longer Offer Relief

For years, many workers escaped Abuja’s high rents by relocating to surrounding communities.

Today, that strategy is becoming less effective.

Linus Musa, another civil servant, said many residents who moved to Kubwa, Gwagwalada and Mararaba had discovered that rents in those areas had also risen sharply.

He called for government intervention, including legislation to address rising rents and salary reviews to help workers cope with the cost of living.

“The government should come up with legislation to regulate the housing sector, with a view to tackling the incessant hikes in rent, as well as review workers’ salaries upwards,” he said.

Musa said landlords had continued increasing rents despite stagnant wages and persistent inflation.

“Some landlords with little consideration for tenants are seriously putting pressure on families,” he added.

He also questioned the effectiveness of existing housing policies.

Should Rent Be Regulated?

The worsening situation has revived debate over rent regulation.

One legislative proposal that attracted attention was the Advance Rent (Residential Apartments, Office Spaces, etc.) Regulation Bill, introduced in the Senate.

The bill proposed limiting advance rent payments to three months, after which tenants would pay monthly rather than being compelled to pay one or two years’ rent upfront.

Its sponsor argued that many Abuja residents struggled to raise the large sums required to secure accommodation.

Supporters say such legislation could reduce financial pressure on tenants and improve access to housing.

Critics, however, argue that regulating advance payments without addressing housing shortages could discourage investment in the property market.

The proposal nevertheless reflects growing concern over housing affordability in the nation’s capital.

Wike Speaks

The debate intensified after FCT Minister Nyesom Wike explained why the administration could not simply order landlords to reduce rents.

According to Wike, rental prices are largely determined by market forces. He argued that landlords invest substantial resources in constructing buildings and naturally expect a return on their investment.

He also warned that imposing artificial rent ceilings could discourage private investment in real estate.

Instead, Wike said the administration was focused on broader infrastructure and economic development, which could eventually reduce the overall cost of living.

“No government puts a cap on the cost of rent. It is market forces. You are aware that everything has increased due to rising costs. The man who built the house did not build it without expecting to make a profit at the end of the day.

“I do not agree with people always complaining about rent increases. There are increases across the board today, so rent should not be singled out. Do you want us to make a law that says a two-bedroom flat should not cost more than N50,000 or N100,000, for example? I do not think you are encouraging investors. That is not our major problem now,” he said.

Expert Speaks

Aliyu Wamakko, a former president of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), said regulating rents without addressing the rising cost of building materials would be ineffective.

“There is no way rents can come down when the cost of cement and other building materials keeps rising,” he said.

According to him, government intervention should focus on stabilising the prices of construction materials.

“The primary issue is the cost of building materials, especially cement. Government must declare an emergency in that area and support manufacturers with incentives that can reduce production costs,” Wamakko said.

He nevertheless urged landlords to show empathy towards tenants amid the prevailing economic challenges.

“Landlords should put a human face to what they are doing because everyone is affected by the economic situation,” he said.