Young single women in Sokoto State are raising alarms over a growing social crisis: escalating house rents are preventing potential suitors from getting married, thereby upending long-standing cultural timelines for family formation.
Cultural Expectations Clash with Economic Reality
In Sokoto, where marriage is a key religious and cultural milestone, tradition expects men to secure a home before wedding. This norm is now under severe strain. Residents and estate agents report that a severe housing shortage, driven by scarce rentals, exorbitant land prices, and skyrocketing construction costs, has made basic accommodation unaffordable for many young men.
A young woman, who chose to remain anonymous, voiced the collective frustration online, warning that the situation "could expose women to moral and social risks." She lamented, "We want to marry, but our men simply cannot afford rent."
Staggering Costs and Vacant Properties
Estate agent Alhaji Murtala Falke provided a stark picture of the current market. He revealed that a single room with running water now costs about N300,000 annually, while a self-contained unit goes for N400,000 and above. A two-bedroom flat commands between N1.5 million and N2 million per year.
Falke added a paradoxical twist: many houses remain empty for years because landlords insist on these high prices. He cited examples of dome houses in parts of the city offered at N3 million per year with few takers. "I have almost 50 clients—most of them grooms-to-be—waiting for houses, but there is simply nothing available," he stated, criticizing local wealthy individuals for a lack of compassion compared to neighboring states like Kaduna and Kano.
Another agent, Alhaji Ahmed Falke, attributed the crisis to wealthy investors favoring commercial projects and retired civil servants depending on rental income. He also pinpointed the soaring cost of building materials, where a bag of cement now sells for about N9,000 and a tipper of sand has jumped from N50,000 to N150,000.
Government Response and Calls for Transparency
The crisis touches all levels of society. The Director General of the Sokoto Hisbah Commission, Malam Nura Attahiru, shared that two of his marriage-ready children face housing setbacks. He recounted paying N1.3 million and N1.4 million for two houses, only for the landlords to cancel the agreements days later.
Religious leaders like Sheikh Isa Talatan Mafara have called for urgent government intervention, linking affordable housing and job creation to social stability. In response, the Sokoto State government, under Governor Ahmed Aliyu, is building hundreds of housing units in Wamakko, Dange-Shuni, and Millennium City, promising allocation to low-income earners via flexible plans. The federal government is also constructing 250 units in the state.
However, residents emphasize that transparent and fair allocation will be crucial for these initiatives to truly alleviate the widespread distress. Without it, they fear, the marriage-delaying housing crunch will persist.
