THE Lagos State Government has flagged 176 estates for allegedly operating without layout approvals.
A statement on Monday, August 5, by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development issued a 21-day ultimatum for their promoters to regularise their status or face possible sanctions.
The statement noted that the affected estates were mostly situated in the fast-developing corridors of Eti-Osa, Ajah, Ibeju-Lekki, and Epe.
The list includes notable estates such as Adron Homes in Elerangbe, Aina Gold Estate in Okun-Folu, Diamond Estate in Eputu, Prime Water View Garden in Ikate Elegushi, and Royal View Estate in Ikota.
According to the Permanent Secretary of the Office of Physical Planning, Oluwole Sotire, the estates failed to obtain necessary layout approvals, thereby breaching planning regulations and undermining the Lagos State Government’s T.H.E.M.E.S+ Agenda, which outlined its vision for a smart, organised, and sustainable city.
He directed owners and developers of the estates to submit required documents to the ministry at the Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja, within 21 days to initiate the approval process.
Sotire explained that the exercise was part of the ministry’s routine oversight to ensure compliance with urban planning standards across the state.
He added that all developers and real estate practitioners were expected to register with the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA), the body responsible for monitoring and coordinating real estate activities in the state.
The announcement came on the heels of the Lagos State Government’s intensification of its enforcement against alleged illegal constructions across the metropolis.
In recent months, the state has demolished numerous buildings allegedly found to be structurally unsafe, obstructing drainage channels, or lacking statutory approvals.
Several developers and homeowners have been affected by this sustained crackdown, which authorities say is necessary to prevent building collapses, environmental degradation, and flooding.
There have been alarming rates of building demolition in the state, which include Mende Estate in Maryland in 2024. The exercise has also been carried out at Festac, Okota, Lagos Island, Ifako-Ijaiye, Alimosho, Yaba, Ebute Metta, Surulere, Agege, and Oworonshoki.
These result in the loss of assets to estate developers, subscribers, and house owners, who are mostly at the receiving end.
Real estate developers, agents, financiers, realtors, marketers, and other stakeholders in the housing sector have at various times expressed their displeasure.
The ICIR, in one of its publications in November 2023, reported the worries of these actors, including the negligence and fraudulent activities of some government officials.
Other concerns were the rigorous processes for acquiring building permits, the bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with many regulatory authorities—state ministries, agencies, and parastatals related to the building business—and the lack of a central digital system for verifying the genuineness of landed properties.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M