- Safiu Kehinde
A Lagos-based chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Toyin Sonupe, has faulted the advice of the state’s Deputy Governor and the 2027 All Progress Congress Governorship candidate, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, to younger workers over the high cost of housing in the state.
Hamzat had reportedly urged the young workers struggling with high rental costs to consider living with parents or relatives, or sharing accommodation, rather than committing themselves to housing they cannot comfortably afford.
Speaking during a question-and-answer session with Nigeria Info FM last week, the APC candidate said young Nigerians should not feel compelled to move into independent accommodation immediately after securing employment, especially when their income cannot support the cost.
“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,” Hamzat had said during the programme.
According to reports, the deputy governor said the Lagos State Government is promoting mortgage financing as a way of helping residents achieve home ownership without having to make full payment upfront.
Reacting to Hamzat’s advise, Sonubi, in a video posted on X on Monday talked down the advice as she claimed that several young workers in Lagos moved into the state without their parents.
She also faulted the state government’s housing scheme which, according to her, is not affordable to many of the young workers.
‘Some of these children we are talking about don’t have parents in Lagos. They came to Lagos to make a living. Some of them are squatting with their friends.
‘Moreover, all the new house they are building now, there is no face-me-I-face-you again. It is one-bedroom apartment they are building now. They can’t afford the amount they are talking about.
‘Some of the houses are two point something and one point something million. They need to change the system.
‘Some of their parents are not in Lagos.’ Sonubi said.
The PDP chieftain demanded that the state government establish a social welfare scheme which will take care of housing and also provide job opportunities for those without job.
‘Secondly, we need to have offices of shelters, and we need to have a job centre in this place. All these street urchins, they have to make arrangement. I don’t mind working with whichever government is coming in over this situation.
‘They need to have offices where you can get social welfare if you are jobless. You can take their fingerprints, and they can be there for six months.
‘While they are there for six months, let them get a farm. The government needs to have a farm. After six months, they put on the vacancies of this farm for them.
‘The government needs to have shelter for people.’ She said.
Sonubi also harped on the need for the government to provide support of senior citizens and improvise on registration and document of childbirth in the country.
‘And the old people in Nigeria don’t have any benefits. Go to everywhere in the country, there is a benefit.
‘In England, once you are 60, your card will get to your house because they know your date of birth.
‘All the money they are spending on census is rubbish. There supposed to be registration of every child born in hospitals.’ She said.
On her preferred candidate for the 2027 Presidential election, Sonubi charged President Bola Tinubuto hand over to the Allied Peoples Movement’s candidate and current Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde, who he considered younger and fit to continue from where Tinubu stops.
‘I’ve said mine; Baba is old. He should allow the young ones to run. He should hand over to Seyi Makinde.’ She said.