By Tony Adibe
Worried by the perceived high cost of rent in Enugu State, particularly within the state capital, Enugu, the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), Enugu State Chapter said it has concluded plans to hold a 1-day conference on the burning issue.
In a statement issued on behalf of the CLO in the state by Comrade Kindness Jonah, the rights group attributed the high cost of rent to fees charged by lawyers and exorbitant agency fees charged by some individuals known as house agents. Jonah said that the summit would take place on October 30th, 2024, at NUJ Press Center, Enugu.
He said that the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon.Uche Ugwu would be the special guest of honour, while a former President of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Abuja, Hon Dr. Hippolitus Onah would deliver the keynote address.
The human rights activist, however, appealed to all residents of Enugu to leverage the conference to address the high rate of rent they have been facing for a long time – even before the current administration of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Peter Mbah in Enugu State.
Jonah also advised citizens to feel free to attend the conference and narrate “their ordeals in the hands of those who are exploiting them in the name of rent collection.”
He said that the CLO had earlier staged a peaceful protest against the exorbitant cost of rent following complaints from residents of the state, stressing that the conference “will draw more attention to the controversial development.”
