LAGOS is Nigeria’s commercial capital, and obtaining the state’s building approval documents can be rigorous.
On Monday, May 6, the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development (PPUD), Oluyinka Olumide, told journalists that 80 per cent of buildings in the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area (LGA) of the state did not have government approval.
Olumide said the buildings involved had been marked for demolition, pointing out that the Ibeju-Lekki corridor was zoned as agricultural land.
According to him, the first step in the procedure is to get the planning information on what the area is zoned out for.
He said that developers or builders could then secure a fence permit, a layout permit and other building regulation requirements.
While he revealed the percentage of buildings without approvals, the commissioner did not disclose the number of buildings affected or the total number of buildings in the Ibeju-Lekki corridor.
His disclosure that 80 per cent of buildings in Ibeju-Lekki had no approval raised concerns about the government’s effective monitoring of various estates and constructions despite the state’s many ministries and agencies saddled with the responsibility.
It also raises concerns about government officials’ negligence in monitoring and enforcing building regulations in the state.
According to the state Ministry for Physical Planning and Urban Development, a property developer or owner must have documents to obtain a Lagos State Building Permit for every stage of the approval process.
The ICIR presents the documents that intending homeowners must have to get building approval in the state.
- Proof of ownership – certified true copy of title, CofO, Governor’s consent, deed of stamp duties on land or purchase receipt, and deed of conveyance.
- Survey plan/beacon sheet.
- Five sets of working drawings—architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical—with supporting documents like COREN (Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria), a letter of supervision or soil tests, and a calculation sheet, as applicable.
- Photocopy of payment receipts for statutory fees: processing fees, stage certification, penal fees, and IDC (infrastructure development charges) as applicable.
- Clearances from relevant MDAs: Land Use and Allocation Committee (LUAC), New Towns Development Authority (NTDA), Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency (LASURA), Ministry of the Environment (MOE)—Drainage/ Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Ministry of Transport—Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA)/Metro line), Fire Service and Police report as applicable.
- Planning technical reports, that is. Land Use Planning and Analysis Report (LUPAR) and Physical Planning Technical Report PPTR (where applicable)
- Evidence of tax payment (for an individual)
- Certificate of incorporation for corporate organisation.
The ICIR reported earlier that the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area (LGA) where the government plans to demolish 80 per cent of buildings allegedly not have approval, said it lost all its building records to ENDSARS protests in 2020.
The LGA disclosed this to The ICIR through its public affairs officer, Maryam Hamsat.
The ICIR reporter asked the official to respond to questions regarding the Lagos State government’s planned demolition of buildings in the LGA.
She said all the documents at the council were destroyed during the End-SARS protests.
Ibeju-Lekki LGA is home to the Lekki Free Trade Zone, the Dangote refinery, and a beacon for real estate investors seeking promising opportunities.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance