Lagos debunks claim of revoking building permits

The Lagos State Government has clarified that it did not revoke all existing building permits, contrary to some online reports.

Instead, the government explained that it had opened a three-month amnesty window from May 2 to July 30, 2024, allowing property owners to obtain or perfect their planning permits without the usual statutory penalties.

In a statement by the Director of Public Affairs, Lagos State Building Control Agency, Oloye Olusegun, he noted that this clarification became necessary following a misleading headline report in an online news medium, stating that the Lagos State Government revoked all existing building permits.

He clarified, “It should be noted that the issuance of a Planning Permit is the prerogative of the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, LASPPPA, which is under the supervision of the Honourable Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development.

“The directive issued by the Special Adviser on eGIS and Urban Development, Dr Olajide Babatunde, was that Letters of Authorisation to commence construction, issued by the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, needed to be revalidated because most developers, after obtaining the letter to commence construction, fall short of engaging all relevant professionals in the building projects.”

He asserted that the revalidation was to allow the agency to conduct a proper audit and authentication of all the professionals who would be engaged in building construction in the state.

He added, “Dr Babatunde also disclosed that buildings under construction that had been abandoned for a long time needed to be re-certified before recommencement of construction to ascertain the structural stability of the building project.

“He directed that henceforth, nobody should sleep in buildings undergoing construction, all construction work should not go beyond 7 pm every day, and there should be no building construction work on Sundays.”

Oloye noted that the Special Adviser further directed that property owners and developers should revalidate all letters of authorisation to commence building construction issued to them.

“Dr Babatunde called on developers to always ensure that all relevant professionals in the built environment, such as civil/structural, electrical, and mechanical engineers, and architects, are engaged in building construction,” he concluded.

The Lagos State Government had extended the provision of amnesty for owners and developers of existing buildings without planning approvals in the state by three months.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, disclosed this during a briefing in Ikeja recently.

He said, “Considering the high rate of applications since the beginning of the amnesty programme, the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has approved the extension of the programme by another three months, starting from August 1, 2024, to the end of October 2024 to allow more people to benefit from it.”