The Lagos State Government has launched a comprehensive drive to identify, document and formalise informal land holdings across the state, in a move officials say is aimed at strengthening urban planning, curbing misuse of public land and improving revenue generation.
The initiative was unveiled at a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Lagos State Valuation Office in Alausa, bringing together officials from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies involved in land administration and physical planning.
Government representatives at the forum acknowledged that a significant portion of land in Lagos remains outside formal records, largely due to decades of rapid urban expansion, weak enforcement, and informal occupation. These gaps, they said, have limited the state’s ability to plan effectively and maximise the economic value of its land assets.
Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Physical Planning, Olumide Sotire, described land as Lagos State’s most valuable resource, warning that unmanaged informal land use poses long-term risks to sustainable development.
He said the government was taking deliberate steps to reclaim and properly integrate informal land spaces into official records, stressing that the process would be systematic and coordinated across multiple agencies.
Sotire disclosed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had approved the engagement of an external consulting firm to support the statewide exercise, noting that all relevant MDAs would participate to ensure accuracy and transparency.
According to him, informal land spaces have often been subjected to abuse, illegal occupation and unregulated development, creating planning distortions and disputes that undermine orderly growth.
“The goal is to restore order and ensure that land use aligns with the state’s development objectives,” he said.
In his welcome address, the Director of the Lagos State Valuation Office, Adekunle Awolaja, said the initiative was central to the agency’s mandate to ensure proper valuation and management of land assets.
Awolaja noted that undocumented land translates to lost revenue for the state, adding that formalising such assets would enhance investor confidence and improve long-term economic planning.
He said the valuation office was committed to working with partner agencies to deliver a credible and data-driven outcome that would support both governance and development.
Representatives of the consulting firm engaged for the project explained that preliminary assessments had revealed a larger volume of undocumented land than previously estimated. They said the exercise, which initially targeted a limited land area, had since expanded following early findings across multiple locations in Lagos.
According to the consultants, a similar exercise conducted over a decade ago demonstrated how informal land, once properly documented, could significantly increase in value. They noted that land previously valued at hundreds of millions of naira had appreciated into several billions following formal recognition and development.
They disclosed that the current exercise now covers several thousand hectares of land, with an estimated cumulative value running into trillions of naira. The consultants described this gap as a major source of unrealised revenue for the state.
The General Manager of the Lagos State Informal Space Management Authority, Oludaisi Oso, said collaboration among agencies was critical to achieving accurate valuation and effective management of informal spaces.
Oso explained that many of the identified areas currently function as walkways, roadside developments or unregulated commercial spaces, adding that proper documentation would allow the government to optimise their use.
He said the state intends to leverage these spaces strategically to support revenue generation while improving urban order and functionality.
Officials at the forum also addressed concerns about displacement, assuring stakeholders that the process would be guided by existing laws and regulations. They said compensation would be provided where applicable, emphasising that the initiative was not designed to arbitrarily dispossess legitimate occupants.
Beyond revenue considerations, the government said the project would help reduce land disputes, improve infrastructure planning and support housing and commercial development across the state.
By bringing informal land assets into the formal system, authorities believe Lagos will be better positioned to respond to population growth and urban pressures.
The Lagos State Valuation Office said the initiative represents a long-term investment in governance and planning, adding that properly documented land assets would strengthen the state’s financial base and development outlook.
As Lagos continues to expand, officials insist that reclaiming and formalising informal land remains critical to ensuring sustainable growth, efficient land use and improved public accountability.
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