The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has enacted legislation to regulate scrap trading, house rents, and estate agent fees to prevent exploitation and vandalism.
The legislation, passed at Wednesday’s plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Moses Odunwa, is titled “The Ebonyi State Sale of Scraps, House Rent and Agent Fees Regulation Law, 2026”.
The bill, which will become law once Governor Francis Nwifuru gives his approval, aims to regulate the sale, possession, transportation, and disposal of metal and electrical scraps, standardise house rents, and limit excessive agent fees.
It prohibits the purchase, sale, possession for sale, transportation, or disposal of metal or electrical scraps except when carried out by licensed dealers operating in accordance with regulations made under the law.
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The legislation proposes imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine of up to ₦500,000 for offenders.
The legislation also stipulates that landlords who obtain possession of accommodation through fraud, misrepresentation or concealment of material facts commit an offence punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment.
It further caps agents’ fees at no more than two per cent of the gross amount of a property transaction.
From the commencement of the law, landlords are required to comply with standard rents prescribed by the governor for applicable categories of accommodation.
The law also requires all estate agents operating in the state capital to register with the Ministry of Capital City to promote transparency and professionalism in property transactions.
Presenting the bill, the House Leader, Kingsley Ikoro, said the legislation was designed to check 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,” Mr 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 address scrap theft and arbitrary rent increases.
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The speaker noted that scrap dealers had caused considerable havoc in society, adding that if assented to, the legislation would promote public safety and restore sanity to property transactions.
The bill was considered clause by clause by the Committee of the Whole, with members correcting identified grammatical errors before unanimously passing it into law.
The House also approved the state Auditor-General’s report on the consolidated financial statements of the Ebonyi State Government for the year ending 31 December 2025, which stated that it conformed with accepted accounting principles.
The lawmakers screened and confirmed nine nominees of the governor as coordinators and members of the management committee of the Amasiri Development Centre in the Afikpo Local Government Area.
The screening took place after the development centre was reinstated, following its disbandment and delisting by the Ebonyi State Government.
(NAN)