The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, has advised young workers not to feel pressured to rent expensive apartments, urging them to consider living with their parents, relatives or in shared accommodation while building their finances.
Hamzat gave the advice during a question-and-answer session with Nigeria Info FM on Thursday, August 20.
The deputy governor was asked how a 22-year-old earning N100,000 monthly could afford a self-contained apartment or mini-flat that costs about N1 million annually, amid the rising cost of accommodation in Lagos.
Responding, Hamzat said young people should consider accommodation that reflects their income instead of feeling compelled to start out in expensive apartments.
“Don’t let us misunderstand ourselves as a people. We are cultural people. Do you understand? So, if I start work as a young person and I’m not married, a lot of us live with our parents. A lot of us live with our cousins.
“You know, go to Turkey, for example, and see how young people also live.”
He said young workers should not feel compelled to move into self-contained apartments immediately if their incomes could not comfortably support such accommodation.
“So, if you don’t start from the top self-contained, you don’t start from the top. You start from the average depending on,” the deputy governor said.
Hamzat also advised residents not to spend more than 40 per cent of their income on rent, noting that workers have other essential expenses to cover.
“In fact, if you spend more than 40 per cent of your income on rent, it is too high because you must eat, you must buy clothes, you must do transportation,” he said.
