Ebonyi Lawmakers Pass Legislation to Sanitize Rent, Scrap Trade

In a bid to tackle the challenges of exploitation and vandalism in the state, the Ebonyi State House of Assembly has enacted a law aimed at regulating the scrap trade, house rents, and estate agent fees. The new legislation, known as 'The Ebonyi State Sale of Scraps, House Rent and Agent Fees Regulation Law, 2026', was passed during a plenary session presided over by Speaker Moses Odunwa. This law is expected to take effect immediately upon being assented to by Governor Francis Nwifuru. Its primary objective is to regulate the sale, possession, transportation, and disposal of metal and electrical scraps, standardize house rents, and limit excessive fees charged by estate agents. According to the law, only licensed dealers will be allowed to purchase, sell, possess for sale, transport, or dispose of metal or electrical scraps, and any offenders could face imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to N500,000. Furthermore, the law makes it an offense for landlords to obtain possession of accommodation through fraudulent means, with a punishment of up to two years' imprisonment. It also sets a limit on estate agents' fees to not more than two percent of the gross sum involved in a property transaction. Additionally, from the commencement of the law, landlords will be required to adhere to standard rents as prescribed by the governor for various categories of accommodation. The law also mandates all estate agents operating in the state capital to register with the Ministry of Capital City, promoting transparency and professionalism in property transactions. The House Leader, Kingsley Ikoro, presented the bill, stating that 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. Lawmakers such as Victor Nwoke, Aloysius Nwodo, Oluchukwu Ezeali, Friday Ogbuewu, and Celestine Ogba contributed to the debate, describing the legislation as timely and necessary to tackle scrap theft and arbitrary rent increases. The Speaker noted that scrap dealers had caused significant harm to society, adding that the implementation of the law would promote public safety and restore sanity to property transactions. The bill was thoroughly examined 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. The lawmakers also 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, following the reinstatement of the development centre, which had earlier been disbanded and delisted by the Ebonyi Government.