By Our Reporter

Aggrieved residents, mostly youths, on Tuesday took to major streets across Ondo State to protest what they described as arbitrary hikes in house rent and the exploitative activities of house agents and caretakers.

The demonstrators marched through key areas of Akure, the state capital, carrying placards with various inscriptions and chanting solidarity songs to express their frustration over the worsening housing situation amid the prevailing economic hardship.

The protesters said the continuous increase in rent had pushed many young people to the brink, making decent accommodation increasingly unattainable for the average resident.

They lamented that the rising cost of housing was forcing some people into homelessness, while others were compelled to live in overcrowded and unhealthy conditions just to survive.

They also urged the Ondo State Government to look into the escalating prices of building materials such as sand and roofing sheets, which they argued had contributed significantly to the surge in rent across the state.

As part of their demands, the protesters called on the government to introduce a digital housing regulation application that would monitor and regulate the activities of landlords and agents.

According to them, such a platform could also serve as a credible source of internally generated revenue for the state.

The demonstrators appealed to the government to act swiftly to address the housing crisis, warning that failure to intervene could further deepen social and economic hardship among young people and low-income earners in the state.