The Citizens Action Network, CAN, has called on the Lagos State Government to urgently address the escalating cost of accommodation across the state, warning that rising rents are placing an unsustainable burden on workers and low-income households.
The group, in a statement issued on Thursday, August 27, 2026, by its Convener, Ade-Adewunmi Adeoye, described the current rental situation as exploitative and urged the government to introduce measures capable of making housing more accessible to residents.
CAN said the sharp increase in rents had pushed decent accommodation beyond the reach of many Lagos residents, particularly those earning low and fixed incomes.
According to the group, tenants in several parts of the state now pay as much as N2.5 million annually for a two-bedroom apartment, while a self-contained room can attract annual rent of up to N700,000.
“This is not just high; it is criminal,” CAN said, expressing concern over how such rental costs could be sustained by workers earning the N70,000 minimum wage.
The group illustrated the disparity by comparing annual earnings with prevailing rents, noting that a worker on the minimum wage earns N840,000 a year.
“Let us do the math: A worker earning the N70,000 minimum wage per month with a family of six earns N840,000 in a year. That means his entire annual salary cannot even cover rent for one two-bedroom flat, not to talk of feeding, school fees, transport and healthcare,” the organisation said.
CAN questioned how workers and small-scale business operators could continue to survive in Lagos when a significant portion of their earnings was required merely to secure accommodation.
“What then happens to labourers, artisans, petty traders and other low-income earners who keep Lagos running?” The group asked.
It warned that failure to address the situation could deepen the state’s housing challenges, with more residents potentially forced into informal settlements, overcrowded accommodation or homelessness.
“If the government does not intervene now, this crisis will spiral out of hand. More families will be pushed into slums, overcrowded rooms and homelessness,” CAN said.
To address the situation, the group called for the urgent introduction of a rent control law that would regulate annual rent increases and curb what it described as illegal charges imposed on tenants by some landlords and agents.
It also proposed the creation of a Rent Monitoring Taskforce, with the responsibility of monitoring the rental market and taking action against landlords and agents accused of exploiting or harassing tenants.
Beyond regulation, CAN urged the state government to significantly expand investment in affordable housing schemes targeted at low-income workers and other residents who are unable to cope with prevailing market rents.
The organisation maintained that access to decent accommodation should not be restricted to residents with the financial capacity to pay exorbitant rents.
“Housing is a right, not a luxury. We need Homes For All,” the group said.
CAN further urged the government to act quickly, warning that continued inaction could worsen the housing crisis and increase the pressure on vulnerable residents.
“The people cannot continue to suffer. The time to act is now, before the situation gets completely out of hand,” it said.