Lagos engages local government chiefs on regulatory compliance issues

The Lagos State Government, through the State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), has asked local authorities to strictly adhere to codes and approval processes in the built environment.

The Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Babatunde, in an interactive session with the Chairmen of Local Councils and Local Government Development Areas (LCDAs), lamented the growing non-compliance with building regulations and approval processes in the state.

He noted that local governments are closest to the people and can better inform local masses about the best ways to use the environment.

He urged council chairmen to comply with building regulations and avoid the practice of rushing approval processes for the construction of shops and offices in these towns.

He said: “It is important that we get back to basics. As the government closest to the people, you have a responsibility to ensure that basic minimum standards are maintained to mitigate the environmental impact of mass construction.”

Babatunde said that under the constitution, the management of all land in urban spaces rests with the state government, therefore local governments should ensure that land and space approval processes in their areas are issued by agents of the state for proper planning.

Earlier, LASBCA Director General, Gbolahan Oki, stressed the need to comply with the provisions of the Lagos State Amended Building Control Regulations.

He said there was a need to look at grassroots planning and change the current narrative in which local governments issue building permits for closed shops indiscriminately, without recourse to state building approval processes.

Oki expressed the government’s concern over the indiscriminate and unplanned construction of buildings and shops at the local level by developers in connivance with some local government officials, without following specific regulations and approval procedures.

Other stakeholders from the built environment who spoke at the event included the Permanent Secretary of the Office of Urban Affairs, Olalekan Shodeinde; Permanent Secretary of the Civil Service Commission, Akinbode Obadina; The Director General of the State Public Works Corporation, Tokunbo Ajanaku, agreed on the need for mutual cooperation between local governments and the state government.

They also emphasized the need for proper environmental planning for a progressive society.

On behalf of the other chairmen, Surulere Local Council Chairman Sulaiman Yusuf and his Orile Agege counterpart LCDA Babatunde called for mutual partnership and respect between both tiers of government.