IBRAHIM QUADRI
Lagos State Government on Wednesday raised the alarm over the shortfall in the number of applications for building permit approvals, noting there is an annual 22,000 deficit in the approval rate in the State.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Olumide Oluyinka disclosed during a press briefing at Alausa, Ikeja.
Oluyinka noted that the State government is to address the challenges through a week-long stakeholders’ engagement, which would be rounded off on Friday, 26 September 2025.
He warned that any structure without approval from the State government is at risk of being demolished, adding that the engagement is to enlighten the public, especially those at rural areas, on the need to obtain a planning permit for proper documentation.
He disclosed further that the State government recorded 12,000 approvals in 2024, noting 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 the 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 the challenges are. 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 on this 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, who 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,” he stated.
While buttressing his point, the Commissioner said in society there is an introduction and the implementation of laws. “So 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 a 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 the 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 recognized.
“And also planning permit is essential for documentation as a landed property,” noting it can be used as collateral in a bank before such property can be acceptable.
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