The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has passed a bill seeking to regulate house rents, estate agents’ fees and scrap trading across the state.

The bill, titled “The Ebonyi State Sale of Scraps, House Rent and Agent Fees Regulation Law, 2026,” was passed during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Moses Odunwa.

The legislation, which will take effect if assented to by Governor Francis Nwifuru, is aimed at curbing vandalism, environmental degradation and exploitative practices in the housing sector.

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Under the proposed law, the purchase, sale, possession for sale, transportation or disposal of metal and electrical scraps would be prohibited except by licensed dealers operating in accordance with regulations made under the law.

Offenders could face up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to ₦500,000.

The legislation also seeks to regulate activities in the housing sector by limiting estate agents’ fees to not more than two per cent of the gross sum of a property transaction.

It further requires landlords to comply with standard rents prescribed by the governor for applicable categories of accommodation.

Estate agents operating in the state capital would also be required 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 important in tackling vandalism, environmental degradation and exploitation 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.

Contributing to the debate, lawmakers including Victor Nwoke, Aloysius Nwodo, Oluchukwu Ezeali, Friday Ogbuewu and Celestine Ogba described the legislation as timely and necessary to tackle scrap theft and arbitrary rent increases.

Speaker Odunwa also noted that scrap dealers had caused considerable havoc in society, expressing optimism that 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 lawmakers correcting identified grammatical errors before unanimously passing it.

The Assembly also adopted the state Auditor-General’s report on the consolidated financial statements of the Ebonyi Government for the year ended December 31, 2025.

Meanwhile, the lawmakers screened and confirmed nine nominees of Governor Nwifuru as coordinator and members of the management committee of Amasiri Development Centre in Afikpo Local Government Area.

The screening followed the reinstatement of the development centre, which had earlier been disbanded and delisted by the Ebonyi Government.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has dispelled recruitment rumours, cautioning the public against fake and AI-generated employment letters being circulated in its name.

It went further to issue a caveat against fraudsters allegedly demanding money from unsuspecting members of the public under the guise of helping them secure jobs at the NUPRC.

The warning was contained in a statement issued by the NUPRC Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, on X on Tuesday.

According to the commission, it had received reports of fake employment letters bearing the names of people unknown to the organisation.

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It also said some criminal elements had been extorting money from members of the public by falsely claiming to have connections that could secure employment at the commission.

The NUPRC said it had reported the activities of the suspected fraudsters to law enforcement agencies for investigation.

The commission urged members of the public to exercise caution and verify any employment-related information before taking action or making payments.

“The NUPRC wishes to inform the general public about the proliferation of fake and AI-generated employment letters bearing the names of persons unknown to the Commission,” the statement said.

The commission added that reports had also reached it that “some unscrupulous and criminal elements have been extorting money from unsuspecting members of the public under the pretext of helping them to secure employment at the Commission.”

The NUPRC said the activities of the suspected fraudsters had been reported to law enforcement agencies, with the commission awaiting the outcome of the investigation.

It, however, stated categorically that there was currently no recruitment exercise ongoing at the commission.

“The NUPRC states categorically that there is no ongoing recruitment exercise at the Commission,” it said.

The commission further explained that whenever it decides to recruit, the process would be conducted in accordance with applicable laws and government regulations.

“However, when the Commission does decide to recruit, it will be done strictly in line with the extant laws and government regulations,” it added.

The NUPRC therefore advised job seekers and other members of the public to be wary of individuals requesting money or presenting questionable employment documents purportedly issued by the commission.

Following the rising cases of fire incidents, building collapses and accidents across the country, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has commenced a specialised Emergency Preparedness and Fire Prevention Awareness programme aimed at sensitising Nigerians on practical response to such incidents.

Speaking during the Lagos State edition of the training, Managing Director of Matosi Nigeria Limited, Mr. Tosan Bolorunfe, the consultant for the programme, said emergency preparedness had become a serious national issue requiring deliberate attention from both public and private sector stakeholders.

According to him, “Fire incidents, workplace accidents, panic during emergencies, poor response coordination and lack of basic safety awareness continue to cause avoidable losses across homes, offices, hotels, markets, public facilities and industrial sites.”

Bolorunfe stressed that a society that waits for disaster before discussing safety is already late, noting that the first few minutes of an emergency are often the most critical.

“Many lives are not lost because help does not exist. Many lives are lost because people do not know what to do in the first few critical minutes,” he said.

“When people are safer, businesses are stronger. When workplaces are prepared, productivity is protected. When communities understand emergency response, lives are preserved.”

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He observed that many Nigerians are often forced into panic and prayer during emergencies, not because they do not care about safety, but because they have not been adequately exposed to practical emergency response training.

“In many emergency situations, people resort to prayer because they genuinely do not know the next practical step to take. Prayer is important, but preparedness is also a responsibility. People need to know who should act, what to switch off, where to go, who to call, and how to evacuate safely,” he said.

Bolorunfe added that emergency preparedness training must go beyond classroom presentations, stressing that practical demonstrations and real-life scenarios are essential to effective learning.

“Training adults, especially on emergency subjects, requires more than reading slides. It requires experience, clarity, discipline and the ability to connect knowledge to real-life situations,” he said.

He commended NCDMB for supporting the initiative, describing the programme as a practical capacity-building intervention that aligns with the Board’s broader commitment to human capital development and safety awareness.

He also advised organisations and institutions not to wait for accidents before investing in emergency readiness.

“To government agencies, private sector operators and community leaders, safety training should not be optional. It should be deliberate, repeated and practical. All stakeholders must begin to treat emergency preparedness as a national productivity issue, a community protection issue, and a human responsibility,” Bolorunfe said.

The Lagos training featured classroom sessions, interactive discussions, practical demonstrations, controlled fire response exercises, fire extinguisher handling, first aid awareness and emergency response sensitisation for nominated participants.