The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has passed a bill regulating scrap trade, house rents, and estate agent fees, aiming to curb exploitation, vandalism, and other harmful practices. The legislation, titled “The Ebonyi State Sale of Scraps, House Rent and Agent Fees Regulation Law, 2026,” was passed during plenary presided over by Speaker Moses Odunwa.
Key Provisions of the New Law
The law, expected to take effect immediately upon assent by Governor Francis Nwifuru, seeks to regulate the sale, possession, transportation, and disposal of metal and electrical scraps. It also standardizes house rents and limits excessive fees charged by estate agents. Under the legislation, the purchase, sale, possession for sale, transportation, or disposal of metal or electrical scraps would be prohibited except by licensed dealers operating under regulations made pursuant to the law. Offenders could face imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to N500,000.
Landlord and Agent Regulations
The legislation also stipulates that landlords who obtain possession of accommodation through fraud, misrepresentation, or concealment of material facts would commit an offense punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment. Estate agents’ fees are limited to not more than two percent of the gross sum involved in a property transaction. From the commencement of the law, landlords would also be required to comply with standard rents prescribed by the governor for applicable categories of accommodation. All estate agents operating in the state capital must register with the Ministry of Capital City, promoting transparency and professionalism in property transactions.
Legislators’ Support and Debate
Presenting the bill, House Leader Kingsley Ikoro said the legislation was designed to address vandalism, environmental degradation, and exploitative practices in the housing sector. “This legislation is very important to us as a people because it will help check vandalism of critical assets, environmental degradation and exploitative practices in the housing sector,” Ikoro said. Contributing to the debate, Victor Nwoke, Aloysius Nwodo, Oluchukwu Ezeali, Friday Ogbuewu, and Celestine Ogba described the legislation as timely and necessary to tackle scrap theft and arbitrary rent increases. Speaker Odunwa noted that scrap dealers had caused considerable havoc in society, adding that implementation of the law would promote public safety and restore sanity to property transactions.
Additional Assembly Actions
The bill was considered clause by clause by the Committee of the Whole, with lawmakers correcting identified grammatical errors before unanimously passing it. The House also adopted the state Auditor-General’s report on the consolidated financial statements of the Ebonyi Government for the year ended December 31, 2025, which it said conformed with accepted accounting principles. Additionally, lawmakers screened and confirmed nine nominees of the governor as coordinator and members of the management committee of Amasiri Development Centre in Afikpo Local Government Area. The screening followed the reinstatement of the development centre, which had earlier been disbanded and delisted by the Ebonyi Government.
