Enforce building regulations, operators urge govt

Urban planning experts and estate developers have called on the Lagos and Ogun State governments to urgently enforce building regulations and provide critical infrastructure to halt the unchecked growth of slums and restore order to the country’s built environment.

The stakeholders made the call at a recent two-day workshop in Abeokuta, Ogun State, with the theme ‘The Impact of Emerging Technologies on Urban and Regional Planning: Challenges and Opportunities’.

According to a statement, the stakeholders decried the loss of residential areas to unregulated commercial expansion and the government’s failure to act decisively.

The event, organised by the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria, featured key voices in the real estate sector, including the Managing Director of Pelican Valley Nigeria Limited, Babatunde Adeyemo, who blamed the rot in urban planning on poor policy implementation.

“The problem in Nigeria is not about policy formulation. It is all about implementation,” Adeyemo said. “When you observe village excision, it should be a win-win for planning and development. But if you acquire thousands of hectares of land without infrastructure or housing, who will move there?”

He cited the Muhammadu Buhari Estate in Kobape, Ogun State, as an example of poor implementation, stating, “You don’t just clear villages when you can’t ignite development. The government must be strategic.”

Likewise, ATOPCON President Bisi Adedire accused government officials of undermining planning regulations and compounding the problem of land encroachment.

He described a land dispute in Ota, Ogun State, where a government-issued Certificate of Occupancy was overridden years later.

“It is the same government that issued a C-of-O 15 years ago that has now issued another one cutting across the same land,” Adedire claimed. “We wrote letters to the Governor, Lands Commissioner, and other agencies. Up till today, nothing has come out of it.”

Meanwhile, a stakeholder, Prof Muyiwa Agunbiade of the University of Lagos, said the government’s refusal to digitise planning systems has made land administration chaotic and prone to abuse.

“Where do we have digital plans in Ogun State?” Agunbiade asked. “We said 20 years ago that the Mowe–Ibafo corridor needed planning. Today, it is a mega slum and will take trillions to fix. Government officials are not willing to go digital because they benefit from the analogue system.”

Further, the Managing Director of UPDC, Odunayo Ojo, stated that enforcement of planning laws is key to effective collaboration between the government and the private sector. He warned that “No society can move forward without law and order. The private sector thrives when rules are followed.”

Responding to the criticisms, the Senior Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Urban and Regional Planning, Abiodun Adewolu, admitted that challenges such as poor road networks, water shortages, and social congestion make planning difficult. But he urged citizens to obey planning laws.

“Planning is to create a liveable environment. But unfortunately, it has been reduced to revenue generation, not public interest,” Adewolu affirmed.

Also contributing, Lagos State Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Oluwole Sotire, acknowledged that while citizens must pay taxes, the government must also be accountable.

“Whether it is equitable is another question,” Sotire asserted. “Efforts should be made to involve proper stakeholders to ensure beneficial planning and good governance.”

The experts unanimously urged the governments to end the proliferation of informal settlements, enforce existing regulations, and embrace digital technologies in land management to restore order and drive sustainable development in urban centres.