The Lagos State Government said on Wednesday that it will proceed with issuing notifications concerning unpermitted constructions to ensure that sufficient individuals are notified and that violators do not choose to ignore such letters.
Kehinde Osinaike, the general manager of the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA), disclosed this while speaking to journalists in Lagos.
Osinaike said that even though the government was doing more to publish notices of planning permit violations for efficiency, the agency’s extensive public awareness programmes on voluntary compliance were producing encouraging results.
When it came time to accept responsibility for their actions or inactions against the law, he said there were several instances where property owners pretended to be unaware that notices of planning permit contraventions had been served on them.
“This government is committed to transparency, and accountability. We are not hiding anything from the public.
“The whole essence of publishing all buildings that were served with one form of notice or the other is to also ensure that we are transparent in all we are doing and we are straightforward.
“We want the public to be aware that a particular building is in contravention of the town planning regulations.
“What we expect at that point after the publication is for the owner to quickly try to rectify as much as possible whatever infractions that have been committed hitherto; we have witnessed situations in which people deny that they have not been served notices before our enforcement exercise,” he said.
Osinaike said that the notices would be in the form of an invitation to property owners or developers to come forward and disagree or agree with the agency on the notices in order to avoid sanctions.
He said that, based on such interactions, information gaps could be addressed to prevent further acts of enforcement officers or prompt them in the implementation of the laws.
The general manager said that the notices would be published on LASPPPA’s website and all its social media handles after they had been served on the property owners or developers.
He said quit, seal, stop work, demolition or other forms of notices would be published, but the agency had extended time for action beyond the 48 to 72 hours stipulated by law.
Osinaike explained that the extension could last for weeks or months, depending on the type of notice, to accommodate stakeholders who, for one reason or another, did not have access to the information on time.
He urged the public to voluntarily follow due process in obtaining planning approvals because proper physical planning remained a tool for functional communities.
He said obtaining necessary permits before any construction work and adherence to building rules and regulations would bring about a serene environment that is safe for residents.
