Babatunde Raji Fashola, former governor of Lagos State and immediate past Minister of Power, Works and Housing, on Thursday called for a review of tenancy laws in states across the federation to compel landlords to collect rents monthly.
The experienced public administrator made the call while speaking during the launch of his book titled: “Nigerian Public Discourse: The Interplay of Empirical Evidence and Hyperbole”, in Lagos.
He advocated against advance payment of rents for up to three years or more describing it as overwhelming to tenants. He pointed out that many houses are unoccupied due to the way rents collection are structured and collected.
”That is not the only reason, but if you do not understand how dramatic and painful that three, four or five years rent has become to our nation, we have not consciously done anything to it.
”Can we bring it down from three years to one year? Can we hopefully bring it down to six months? Can we let it coincide with when people get paid? At the end of the month instead of in advance?,” he said.
Fashola also described data as the most important currency in the world, which no central bank could print. He demands for the utilisation of accurate data for better planning in the country.
According to him: “…accurate data will help us determine how many we are, what amount of water we need, what quantity of food; data makes this very important. Accurate data therefore will be beneficial for us.
”Life without shortage of basic needs, like food, like water, like shelter and energy will be a good life, and data is critical to this objective,” he said.
Mr Opeyemi Agbaje, author and academic reviewed the book.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a panel of experts discussed the importance of data to development at the book launch.
The panelists all agreed that data should be used as basis to form policies and decisions, which would bring about changes that would make impact on the people.
The panelists were Tolu Ogunlesi, a former Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Digital/New Media; Mrs Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, a Social Entrepreneur; and Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, a lawyer and historian.
Present at the book presentation included the wife of the author, Mrs Dame Abimbola Fashola, Representatives of Federal Executive Council; Lagos Deputy Gov. Dr Obafemi Hamzat; and Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, former Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on Sustainable Development Goals.
Others were a former Commissioner For Justice and Attorney General of Lagos, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo;a former Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria, Mrs Ibukun Awosika; Traditional rulers, Lagos White cap chiefs ,friends and families; among others.
