LASG to Property Owners: Perfect Your Papers or Risk Forfeiture, Demolition

Segun James

Lagos State Government has warned property owners that they risked demolition or losing their property to the state if they did not perfect their permits.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Olumide Oluyinka, who made the disclosure during a press briefing at Alausa, Ikeja, warned that any structure without approval from the state government was at risk of being demolished.

He added that the government was engaging the public to enlighten them on the need to obtain planning permit for proper documentation.

He disclosed further that the state government recorded 12,000 approvals in 2024, stating that with the growing population and buildings in the state, the appropriate figure should be in the range of 40,000 to 45,000 approval within a year.

Oluyinka said, “On Monday, we had a debate session with the children. We are having a press briefing today and Friday, we will have an invite for the stakeholders whereby professionals in the field of built environment, from town planners to architects to engineers, to builders, surveyors, and by extension, estate developers because they are very, very important stakeholders to us in this sector.

“And the whole idea is for us to sit down together and jointly examine what are the challenges. A lot of people, including market women, the majority of them are not yet aware of the importance of planning permit. So, those are the reasons why we decided to engage in these stakeholders meeting for the whole of this week.

The commissioner added, “As at last year we recorded 12,000 approvals for planning permit. We should be talking about something like in the middle of 40,000 to 45,000 which means we are still below the average mark.

“And that’s why we decided that it is important for us to continuously engage the members of the public and to, as a way of addressing the projects identified,

“Why are we still having no response, no cooperation from the public? So that’s one of the key points of this stakeholders’ engagement.

“And the strategy is going back to the grassroots in this space. As our grassroots refers to the children who are going to be the leaders of tomorrow, who are going to take up these positions as operators and also as members of the public, that will engage in all forms of development to let them know the importance of the planning permit.

“Because the importance of this permit cannot be over-emphasised. Just like if a child is born, it’s given a name and by extension, a birth certificate. So, the birth certificate also promotes what we have in the building sector, that the building must be increasing by way of learning.

“Also, it helps the government in terms of data collection for the purposes of physical development of the state. This we decided to do.

“And there are going to be a lot of other exercises that will come up as a way of going down to the grassroots so that they will understand the importance.”

The commissioner said, “As part of the laws of the state, it is by law that every building must have a planning permit because that enables the government to keep record of all the developments within the state.

“So, number one, by law, every building is expected to have a planning permit for orderliness. Number two is the fact that in case there is a need for development in future, probably by way of expansion or renovation.

“For example, production of infrastructural elements like expansion of roads, new roads, any government infrastructure. If that particular building does not have a planning permit, that means it is not recognised.

“And also planning permit is essential for documentation as a landed property.”

He said planning permit could be used as a collateral in the bank.