The state government says the proposed legislation aims to protect residents from financial exploitation and safeguard public infrastructure.
Governor Francis Nwifuru
The Ebonyi State Executive Council (EXCO), led by Governor Francis Nwifuru, has approved the transmission of two executive bills to the Ebonyi State House of Assembly (EBHA) aimed at regulating house rents, agency fees, and the scrap metal trade.
Briefing journalists on Tuesday in Abakaliki after the Council’s meeting on Monday, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Ikeuwa Omebeh, said the proposed legislation is intended to protect residents from financial exploitation and safeguard public infrastructure.
To address the rising cost of housing, particularly in Abakaliki, the state capital, the Council approved an Executive Bill to regulate the relationship between landlords and tenants, as well as fees charged by professional and non-professional house agents.
The bill prohibits any agent from collecting a fee exceeding two per cent of the total rental value.
According to Omebeh, the regulation is designed to enforce compliance among registered agents, curb arbitrary charges, and ease the financial burden imposed on residents by high housing costs.
To tackle infrastructure theft and improve public safety, EXCO also proposed “A Bill for a Law to Regulate the Sale of Metal and Electrical Scraps in Ebonyi State and Other Related Matters.”
If passed into law, the legislation will regulate the acquisition, sale, possession, transportation, and disposal of metal and electrical scrap across the state.
The proposed law is aimed at preventing the vandalism of public infrastructure, curbing environmental degradation, and promoting public safety.
Following EXCO’s approval, both bills have been forwarded to the Ebonyi State House of Assembly for legislative consideration, debate, and possible passage into law.
