''Have mercy on low income earners and collect rent in arrears'' Fashola tells Landlords

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has appealed to landlords in the country to consider the plight of low income earners and start collecting their rents in arrears beginning from today , July 6 , 2018. He argued that salary earners who could afford to pay rents, were not receiving their salaries in advance but in arrears.

Fashola made the appeal when he spoke at an event organized by the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria REDAN in Abuja yesterday July 5th.

According to Fashola, most workers, who earned salary regularly and could even afford to pay rent, did not receive their salaries in advance, but in arrears.

“If you ask me to go and bring in advance, one year’s rent, to what I am going to earn monthly in arrears, how feasible is that?

“Even my salary as a minister is paid at the end of every month, not even at the beginning, then why should landlord be asking for next year’s salary. And we are complaining that there is corruption?” he said

Speaking further, Fashola said the Nigerian masses cannot afford to pay house rent yearly like the well to do in the society.

“I believe this meeting is about the critical mass of Nigerians, the taxi drivers , market men and women who earn their money daily and are not even sure of making any revenue for that day . Meanwhile , landlords expect advance payments. Those who get paid weekly pay their rents weekly; those who get paid monthly pay monthly rents,” he said

He also recommended that there should be a Landlord-Tenant-Employer’s relations, whereby the landlord would reach an agreement with the tenant’s employer to ensure deduction of rent on a monthly basis from the tenant’s salary.