The Lagos State Government has restated that its recent action against 176 flagged illegal estates is not a revenue-generating move but a necessary step to enforce physical planning regulations and ensure sustainable urban development.
Speaking on the TVC morning show Your View, monitored by our reporter in Abuja on Wednesday, Oluyinka Olumide, Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, gave rare insight into the thinking behind the state’s 21-day ultimatum to developers of estates that failed to secure layout approvals.
His remarks followed a widely reported government statement listing the affected estates—most of them located in high-growth corridors like Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki, Epe, and Ajah—and warning of possible enforcement actions if the developers do not comply.
He said, “This is not a revenue drive. We are not targeting these developers to make money.
“The fees they pay are not what this is about. This is about ensuring that development in Lagos is safe, sustainable, and properly planned.”
The Commissioner explained that many developers deliberately bypass the mandatory layout approval process because of what they perceive as rigorous technical requirements.
These include engineering and power analyses, road layouts, topographical and contour mapping, environmental assessments, and more—components designed to ensure estates are livable, connected, and resilient.
He said, “Some developers try to avoid the full process by applying for approval for just two or three buildings.
“Then they come back again and again, applying piecemeal, until a whole estate is built without ever having gone through a proper layout review.”
According to Olumide, this strategy creates long-term problems for the city and its residents, including poor drainage, traffic congestion, environmental degradation, and inadequate access to power and water.
These issues become even more difficult and expensive to fix once construction is completed and people have moved in.
The Commissioner said, “You see estates with no proper road networks, no provision for green space, no safe areas for children. It’s just rows and rows of buildings jammed together. “That is not planning. That is chaos.”
He emphasized that the government’s current enforcement effort did not come out of the blue.
Since early 2024, he said, the Ministry has been engaging with developers, educating them on what is required to get layout approval and encouraging voluntary compliance.
“We’ve been going around since February, sensitising them. They know what’s expected. So, this ultimatum is not new. It’s just a final call,” he said.
The state’s process, he explained, is structured to be as fair and accommodating as possible. Even after non-compliant estates are identified, the first step is not demolition but sealing—temporarily halting activity at the site to create room for dialogue and correction.
He said, “We seal first. Then we give them time to comply. Only if they still refuse, and after all engagement efforts have failed, do we move to the next step—which is demolition.
“Even then, demolition is never carried out without the express approval of the governor,” he added.
Asked about how low-income residents often fall victim to illegal estates in a desperate attempt to own homes, Bamgbose-Martins admitted that affordability is a real concern.
However, he warned that cutting corners on planning in the name of cheap housing only shifts the cost to residents down the line—through flooding, unsafe structures, or complete loss of property.
He said, “People say they want affordable homes, but affordability without legality is a trap.
“Buying land in an estate that has no approval may seem cheaper upfront, but it comes with huge risks. You may never get a C of O. Your building may be sealed or even demolished. Is that really affordable?”
He stressed that the government’s priority is to create a city where housing is both affordable and legal. In line with that, Lagos is moving toward vertical development—high-rise residential buildings—to accommodate the state’s booming population within its limited landmass.
“Lagos is only 3,577 square kilometres, and 30% of that is water,” the Commissioner noted.
“We can’t continue to build horizontally. Vertical development is the future, and we’re already planning for it,” he declared.
Beyond enforcement, the Commissioner also expressed concern about the quality of life in many of the unapproved estates.
He decried the lack of proper layouts, which often exclude green spaces, recreation areas, or even access roads.
He said, “We need livable environments, not just buildings. Children should be able to play. Families should have space to breathe. That’s why layouts matter. It’s not just red tape. It’s about quality of life.”
The state’s position was earlier communicated through a statement from the Ministry’s Public Affairs Director, Mukaila Sanusi, which published a list of the affected estates and instructed developers to present their documentation within 21 days at the Ministry’s office in Alausa, Ikeja.
The Permanent Secretary, Oluwole Sotire, reminded developers that layout approval and registration with the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) are legal obligations, not optional guidelines.
For Olumide, the message is simple: “We’re not here to stop development—we’re here to guide it. If developers follow the rules, they have nothing to fear. But if they keep cutting corners, they leave us no choice.”
As Lagos continues to expand rapidly, balancing growth, legality, and livability will remain at the heart of government planning—and the clampdown on illegal estates may be just the beginning.
