The Digest:
A severe housing crisis in Sokoto State has made rental accommodation unaffordable for many young residents, delaying marriages and threatening social stability in the deeply traditional Muslim society.
Key Points:
- A single room now costs ₦300,000 yearly; a self-contained unit exceeds ₦400,000.
- Two-bedroom flats range from ₦1.5 million to ₦2 million per year.
- Estate agents report having no newly built rental houses since 2014.
- Plots of land have risen from ₦2–3 million to over ₦12 million in a year.
- The Hisbah Commission DG disclosed that his own children cannot marry due to housing shortages.
- Young women are publicly appealing for intervention, warning of rising “immorality.”
- Construction costs have skyrocketed: cement is ₦9,000 per bag; a tipper of sand now costs ₦150,000.
Sources: Daily Trust, Vanguard
