By Our Correspondent
A civil society organisation, the Leadership Orientation and Basic Rights Advocacy Centre (LOBRAC), has called for the introduction of affordable social housing and a rent control law in Anambra State.
The group made the call on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, when its Executive Director, Barrister Stanley Okafor, led a delegation to a meeting with the Anambra State Commissioner for Housing, Mr Henry Arize, at the State Secretariat Complex, Awka.
The meeting focused on the rising cost of accommodation in the state, particularly within the Awka capital territory, and possible measures to mitigate the hardship being experienced by residents.
LOBRAC said it was prepared to partner with the state government in tackling the rising cost of housing, adding that it would also work with the state legislature towards developing a rent control and regulation bill for consideration by the Anambra State House of Assembly.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Okafor expressed appreciation to the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for what he described as the governor’s prompt response to an earlier letter from the organisation highlighting the housing challenges confronting residents.
He commended Soludo for what he described as his consistent disposition towards the plight of the less privileged.
Okafor, however, expressed disappointment that the meeting with the Commissioner for Housing did not produce an agreement on the need for urgent measures to control and regulate rents in the state.
He also raised concerns over what he described as the activities of unlicensed housing agents, which he said had compounded the difficulties faced by residents seeking accommodation.
According to him, LOBRAC would continue to engage relevant government institutions and stakeholders towards finding solutions to the housing crisis.
The organisation also pledged to continue supporting the developmental initiatives of the state government while advocating policies aimed at protecting the interests and basic rights of ordinary residents.
LOBRAC said its proposed partnership with the legislature would focus on developing an appropriate legal framework for rent regulation, with a view to curbing arbitrary increases in rents and addressing abuses associated with the activities of unlicensed housing agents.
