Victor EzejaResidents and landlords in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State have been thrown into fear following the declaration by the state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, that 80 per cent of buildings have no approval.
Olumide, who stated this while speaking to newsmen in Lagos, said he and his team had last week Thursday, visited Ibeju Lekki and Epe axis to observe the structures.
He said: “Just last week Thursday and Friday, myself and the team were in the Ibeju Lekki and Epe axis and you would agree with me that anybody passing through that corridor would see a lot of estates marked.
“We went there, and I can tell you that from what we saw, over 80 per cent of them do not have approval.”
This comes amid heavy criticisms of the manner in which the state government have carried out demolition of what it termed as “illegal structures.”
Given the situation on ground, the pronouncement by the Commissioner did not come as less a rude shock to the residents and landlords in the Lekki-Epe axis.
Olumide explained the procedure for getting approval, stating that the first to look out for is the planning information, which relates to what the purpose an area has been zoned for.
After that, the next thing is the fencing permit, followed by layout permit.
According to him, the layout permit cannot be obtained if it is not zoned for the purpose it was designed for or for the purpose it is being requested for.
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“So, you can see all these layers, but people still go ahead to start advertising. Some have even gone to the extent of displaying the sizes they want to sell. Imagine someone in the diaspora who wants to send money without any knowledge. Then, no approval is eventually gotten.
“Even if they pass the assignment and the survey to them, we would not grant the individual permit, because that area is not zoned for that purpose,” the Olumide explained.”
The Physical Planning Commissioner emphasised on the need for people to go through the right processes of approvals, beginning from land acquisition to raising of structures.
Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Tokunbo Wahab, who has been leading demolition exercise had repeatedly said the demolished structures lacked necessary approvals by relevant agencies and were also not in line with the city’s masterplan.
According to Wahab, many of them blocked drainage channels which resulted in flooding frequently experienced.
Reacting to the comment by the Physical Planning Commissioner, some Nigerians questioned why relevant government agencies did nothing until structures raised without approvals rose up to 80 per cent as he claimed.
@Abiodun Sukurat, an X user wrote: “where was this govt agencies when those buildings were undergoing construction?”
“So how is it possible that they built up a whole axis without approval? What did the enforcement agencies do ?” Another X user asked.
Another user questioned why the state government failed to prosecute officials in those agencies who collect money from individuals and give them what seem to be approvals at the point they began to build structures on lands acquired only to learn later that they didn’t get valid approvals.
Folake Vaughn wrote: “If true, this is an indictment on the Lagos State Government which allows the construction of unapproved buildings.”
Some expressed concerns that with what is happening, it is becoming a big risk to invest in real estate in Lagos.
Sir Justin wrote: “Don’t buy real estate in Lagos again with this statement, the future is looking so darker than you think.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
