BY: DECO SULEMAN
The relocation of the Federal Capital Territory from Lagos to Abuja by the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida on December 12, 1991, has contributed immensely to the population density of the Federal Capital Territory and its over twenty districts, sprawling satellite towns, resettlement schemes, and slums.
The Apo Resettlement scheme, Garki New Town, Abuja, like every other settlement within the Federal Capital Territory, has witnessed a massive inflow of low-income earners, the middle class, and, in recent times, the bourgeoisie seeking accommodation within the area.
The Apo Resettlement was initially designed to accommodate displaced aboriginal Abuja indigenes displaced by the construction and implementation of the Abuja City Master Plan, but it has now become home to different classes of people as the original inhabitants sold their properties to willing buyers.
With the dualization of the ever-busy Apo/Waru/Wasa road and other developmental projects within the area, property prices and rents have increased astronomically by over fifty percent. This has forced residents to either resort to sharing apartments, especially among low-income earners, or relocating to other nearby suburbs such as Apo Primary, Wasa, Waru, and Takushara.
Reacting to this development, a resident in Zone C of the area who pleaded anonymity opined that his rent for a studio apartment (self-contained) is nine hundred and fifty thousand naira, compared to six hundred thousand naira he was paying for the same apartment in 2023. He complained that the increase might not be unconnected with the ongoing Apo road dualization work.
In the same vein, another resident in the area, Mr. Velly Melshiach, who lives in a one-bedroom apartment, lamented the sharp increase in rent, attributing it to bad government policies and pervasive inflation within the country.
“My landlord buys fuel at one thousand two hundred naira, rice at over one hundred thousand naira, school fees for his kids have doubled, and the prices of building materials have risen by over fifty percent. Where do you want him to transfer that additional cost to? Of course, it’s his real estate business, and it’s unfortunate the tenants are at the receiving end,” a visibly angry Mr. Melshiach told our correspondent.
Housing TV Africa can authoritatively report that the prices of land, houses, and house rent within the quiet, pristine Apo Resettlement have surged in the last two years by over forty-five percent. A studio apartment has moved up from an average of five hundred thousand naira in 2023 to nine hundred and fifty thousand naira in 2025; rent for a one-bedroom flat, popularly called ‘Gwari’ house, has increased from eight hundred thousand naira to one million five hundred thousand naira; a two-bedroom flat from one million five hundred thousand naira to two million five hundred thousand naira; a three-bedroom flat from two million five hundred thousand naira to three million five hundred thousand naira.
Aside from the astronomical rise in house rentals within the area, the prices of land, houses, and even market stalls within the boisterous Apo Fish Market and Apo Urban Market have equally risen and doubled in price over the years under review.
A plot of 100 ft by 50 ft in the area was valued at around twelve million naira in 2023 but has now surged to twenty-five million naira and more. Houses in the area are valued from fifty million naira and above, depending on the land size and structure.
A landlord in the area who spoke to our correspondent about the perpetual increase in house rent within the area blamed the sharp increase on building materials and the demand for housing in the area as causative factors of the crisis.
He said, “Here in Apo Resettlement, the demand for accommodation is higher than the supply. In Economics, when demand is more than supply, prices rise. This is the exact scenario playing out in Apo Resettlement. Everyone wants to stay here now because of the dualization of the road that leads here. When the project is completed, it will take you eight minutes to get to the central business district from Apo.”
The surging rents in Apo Resettlement reflect a broader challenge in Abuja’s housing market, where infrastructure developments and economic pressures are driving property values beyond the reach of many residents. The dualization of the Apo/Waru/Wasa road has transformed the area into a highly sought-after location, but this progress comes with the unintended consequence of making housing increasingly unaffordable.
As low-income earners and even middle-class residents struggle to cope with skyrocketing rents, the disparity between housing demand and supply exacerbates the situation. Without strategic interventions to address these issues, the dream of affordable housing in the Federal Capital Territory may remain elusive for many.
