Lagos goes tough on properties without planning permit

LAGOS State Government has urged members of the Association of Estate Agents in Nigeria ( AEAN) not to deal in any property without a planning permit in the state. The state’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, gave the advice, yesterday, during a courtesy visit by the leadership of AEAN to the ministry.

Olumide said as stakeholders in the building sector, they should join the crusade for organised, orderly, and sustainable development by ensuring that everyone builds right.

He said that it would not be out of place for members of AEAN to request for the planning permit before agreeing to deal in a property, as doing so, would add to efforts to checkmate illegal development and enhance sustainability.

The commissioner said that contrary to the wrong notion, the process of obtaining a planning permit is straightforward, clear and simple. He also enjoined the association to key into the Lagos State Urban Development Policy being prepared by the ministry by submitting memoranda that would form the policy.

Earlier, the Vice Chairman, Association of Estate Agents in Nigeria, Gbenga Ismail, reiterated the intention of the association to collaborate with the government in sanitising the built environment, especially as the association entered into the first decade of its existence.

Meanwhile, the state government has assured residents of the state of a safe 2024, promising that their safety will be prioritised in the year.

It also called on residents to always take proactive safety measures in personal, occupational, and business environments.