Hamzat gave the advice during a question-and-answer session with Nigeria Info FM on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
The deputy governor was responding to a question about how a 22-year-old earning N100,000 monthly could afford accommodation in Lagos, where the annual rent for a self-contained apartment or mini-flat can reach about N1 million.
Hamzat said young people should choose accommodation based on their income rather than trying to maintain a lifestyle they cannot afford.
He noted that it was common for young, unmarried people to live with their parents or relatives while starting their careers.
“Don’t let us misunderstand ourselves as a people. We are cultural people,” Hamzat said, adding that many young Nigerians live with their parents or cousins.
He further advised young workers not to feel compelled to move directly into self-contained apartments if their earnings could not support such accommodation.
“So, if you don’t start from the top self-contained, you don’t start from the top. You start from the average depending on,” he said.
Hamzat also recommended that residents limit their rent expenses to no more than 40 per cent of their income.
According to him, spending more than 40 per cent of one’s earnings on rent leaves too little for other essential expenses, including food, clothing and transportation.
“In fact, if you spend more than 40 per cent of your income on rent, it is too high because you must eat, you must buy clothes, you must do transportation,” the deputy governor said.
His comments have since generated debate online, particularly amid concerns over rising accommodation costs and the growing difficulty of finding affordable housing in Lagos.
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