Ngozi had finally found it — a clean, affordable flat in a quiet part of Abuja, just fifteen minutes from her office. After weeks of searching, enduring rude agents, inflated prices, and endless viewings, she felt a wave of relief.
She smiled at the landlord as he reviewed her documents.
Then came the question — seemingly harmless.
“Are you married?”
She answered honestly, “No sir, I’m single.”
The smile faded from his face.
“Ah. I don’t rent to single ladies. It’s just too much drama. You understand.”
And just like that, the deal was dead. Not because she couldn’t pay, not because she lacked documents, but because she was a woman — unmarried and independent.
Across Nigeria, this scene plays out far too often. Whether in Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, or Enugu, thousands of women are turned away from apartments, not based on financial criteria, but based on deeply rooted social bias — and often, invasive moral judgment.
Even married women are not immune.
Amina, a schoolteacher in Kaduna, submitted her husband’s name on her tenancy form. The landlord looked at it, then asked casually:
“Are you the first wife or the second?”
She was stunned. “Why does that matter?”
His reply?
“We’ve had issues before. Second wives tend to bring conflict into the compound. We just want peace.”
That wasn’t a housing concern — it was cultural prejudice dressed as property management.
What’s more concerning is how legal professionals often reinforce this discrimination, quietly and structurally. Lawyers may not openly advise landlords to reject single women, but many embed coded bias into tenancy agreements — clauses like:
“Tenant must maintain moral standards.”
“All references must be from a spouse or male guardian.”
“Occupants must not engage in behavior that brings disrepute.”
These clauses may seem neutral, but they’re often applied selectively against women, especially those without a husband. And when challenged, landlords frequently respond with misplaced confidence: “My lawyer drafted it.”
Let’s be clear: there is no valid legal basis in Nigeria for rejecting a tenant solely based on gender or marital status. In fact, doing so violates constitutional protections.
Section 42(1) of the 1999 Constitution states clearly that:
“A citizen of Nigeria shall not be subjected to any disability or restriction by reason of the circumstances of birth, sex, religion, or political opinion.”
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Denying a woman accommodation because she is single, widowed, divorced, or not the “preferred wife” is a direct violation of this right. Additionally, Nigeria is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which obligates the country to remove all forms of gender-based discrimination in housing, employment, and access to public goods.
Yet in practice, many women continue to face humiliation just for seeking a roof over their heads.
In Port Harcourt, a software engineer earning over ₦500,000 per month was told she needed a letter from her father — not because of her finances, but because she “lives alone.” In Lagos, a divorced businesswoman was told to bring her ex-husband as guarantor. In Enugu, a widow was asked to prove her husband was truly deceased — before she could sign the lease.
All of these women met every financial and legal requirement. But they failed the unwritten moral test that landlords — and sometimes their lawyers — impose.
This isn’t about protecting property. It’s about controlling women’s independence.
What must change?
First, lawyers have a responsibility to stop reinforcing these biases through legal drafting. They should advise their clients to stay within constitutional bounds, not cloak discrimination in legal jargon.
Second, states must adopt the Model Tenancy Bill, which is designed to standardize rental agreements, prohibit arbitrary conditions, and create dispute resolution frameworks. Though passed at the federal level, states must domesticate and enforce it for it to have real impact.
Third, women must be empowered to challenge discrimination. Civil society groups, legal aid clinics, and gender justice organizations must educate women about their rights and support litigation when necessary. Courts can — and have — ruled in favor of women in similar cases where discrimination was proven.
Finally, we must talk about it. Loudly.
Because a question like “Are you married?” might sound simple, but in many cases, it is used to screen, disqualify, and shame women. It is followed by questions like:
“Are you a second wife?”
“Will men be visiting you?”
“Can your father or brother sign for you?”
These aren’t questions of tenancy — they’re tools of moral policing.
No woman should have to adjust her truth, invent a fake husband, or downplay her independence just to secure housing. Being single is not a red flag. Being a second wife is not a crime. And needing a roof over your head should never mean surrendering your dignity.
Housing is not a privilege for the approved. It is a constitutional right for every Nigerian.
Until we treat it as such, too many women will keep paying for shelter with something far more costly than money — their freedom.
AUTHOR: Abidemi Adebamiwa, the Managing Editor @ Newspot Nigeria
Articles published in our Graffiti section are strictly the opinion of the writers and do not represent the views of Ripples Nigeria or its editorial stand.
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