House Rent: NGO Advocates Ban On ``Kolanut, Agreement, Lawyers Fees’’ In South-East

       

odogwuemekaodogwu.com reports that an NGO, Someone Cares Africa, has advocated for the abolishment of the arbitrary fees tagged kolanut, agreement and money charged by lawyers for people seeking rent within the South-East.

Chairman of the group in Onitsha Anambra state ,Comrade Chimbo Obieze said ``Also the awkward agent consultation fee should be stopped as all these amount to gross exploitation of the citizens’’.


Obieze, who said this during after a meeting with Onitsha-based activists, noted that ``it is time government of the zone should take drastic action against this cankerworm’’. 


odogwuemekaodogwu.com reports further that he noted that there was no where in any civilize country where four extraneous items are imposed on rent seekers.


``It is only in Nigeria, especially in the South-East, the issue of agent consultation, kolanut, agreement and lawyer fees had deterred so many people seeking for rent or new apartment their quest to get what they want.


``The kolanut money is now between N50,000 and N60,000; while lawyer and agreement goes between N50,000 and N60,000 and an acclaimed agent consultation fee would be up to N10,000 – N15,000.


``By the time a rent or apartment seeker finishes this extraneous and arbitrary payments; he or she must have paid over half of the nominal rent to some elements, who are not landlords in the first place,’’ he said.


The activist noted that it was only in the South-East someone would see and hear a tenant paying two years rent fees up-front to a landlord.


``All these are madness and not acceptable to any organized society and our leaders must do all to stop this madness.


``Since there is always a law guiding rent issues; why push poor and average Nigerians to be living in the streets,’’ he said.


Chimbo revealed that activists would soon organize rallies in major cities, government houses as well as advocacy to religious leaders, politicians and prominent people in the South-East on the issue.


``Even as people are looking on the leaders in Abuja to change things; we must start changing those things that concern us in our localities,’’ he added.


Some landlords and caretakers had made it a ritual to evict the occupant of their property after few years due to the gains made through such extortions especially in Onitsha and Owerri.