The Senate has passed for second reading, a bill, seeking to regulate rent payments in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The proposed legislation, sponsored by Senator Smart Adeyemi, Kogi, specifically seeks to stop the yearly advance payment of rents, and compel house owners to collect rent monthly in arrears.
Adeyemi, in his lead debate, said that the bill was to cushion the effect of outrageous rents on properties, demanded from residents in the nation’s capital.
He said that many properties in Abuja were empty because of the outrageous rents placed on them.
Contributing, Senators Ibrahim Gobir, Sokoto; Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Niger; and Bala Ibn Na’Allah, Kebbi, all threw their weights behind the bill.
Only Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, Enugu, opposed the bill, saying rents are determined by market forces, like cost of acquiring land and building materials.
His position, however, did not stop the passage of the bill for second reading.
