Lagos state government has called on Lagosians to respect the physical planning law of the state to enable them build right noting that such will keep them in-line with the State Government’s Zero Tolerance for illegal building.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, made this known in a release signed by the assistant director Public affairs, in the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mukaila Sanusi.
The Commissioner had on Thursday August 12, led a special operation, to foil an ongoing illegal and unapproved development of the Wasimi, Maryland section of Ojota-Maryland wetland into a residential estate.
Members in special operation, includes officers of the Ministry and operatives of the Lagos State Task force on Environmental Offences, the Lagos State Building Control Agency( LASBCA) and the Special Operations Unit in the Governor’s Office.
Salako decried the indiscriminate attempt to illegally convert the buffer zone into an estate, not minding the attendant negative consequences to the environment, noting that the developers of the site did not have any form of title to the land from the Lands Bureau or drainage clearance from the Office of Drainage Services.
The statement confirmed that the developers of the estate, who had sandfilled the wetland and commenced construction, had willfully enchroached on part of Opebi Park and the alignment of the proposed Opebi-Maryland-Ojota link road, conceived by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.
It also stated that the development was neither backed by a Planning Permit nor had a layout approval to rely on, while urging developers to always avail themselves of the free advisory service of the Ministry on Planning Information to guide appropriately on land use.
Also part of the operation were the Special Adviser to the Governor on Urban Development, Ganiyu Adele Ayuba, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Engr. Abiola Kosegbe, the General Manager LASBCA, Arc. Gbolahan Oki, Task Force Chairman, CSP Shola Jejeloye and Head of the Special Operations Unit, Engr. Toyin Omotosho.
