The Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration has, in the last six years, widened the Planning Permit net with the approval of more buildings in Lagos State.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, on Wednesday, May 7, during the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing of the Office of Physical Planning at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.
He hinted that the Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA), has, in the last six years, granted a total of 37,266 Approvals for various uses, including residential, commercial, mixed-use, and institutional, among others, adding that, in 2024 alone, LASPPPA granted Approvals for 95 Hospitals, 27 Petrol Filling Stations, 151 Shopping Malls, and 95 Schools, among others.
Olumide said that LASPPPA surpassed its pre-amnesty window record of 2,201 approvals by 6,655 as it granted a total of 8,856 approvals between May and December, 2024, while the Amnesty window was on.
The Commissioner, who was excited at the success of the Amnesty Programme, designed to allow owners and developers of existing buildings without approvals regularise their property, said that the Sanwo-Olu Administration successfully encouraged more property owners to regularise their buildings as application and Approval rate swelled during the Amnesty window that lasted for 180 days.
His words: “The amnesty window was divided into three phases, yielding impressive results: for the first phase (May-July 2024), LASPPPPA granted 2,151 approvals; the second phase (August-October 2024) witnessed a total of 6,402 applications out of which 3,570 approvals were granted; and the third phase (November-December 2024) recorded 7,210 applications and 3,135 approvals, bringing the total Amnesty Period achievements to 18,489 applications and 8,856 Approvals, respectively.”
He added that the two months that followed the Amnesty window, that is, January and February 2025, recorded a combined 1,369 approvals against 2,084 applications.
He urged property owners and developers to always seek the Planning Information service of the Ministry and guard against factors causing delays in Approval, such as non-compliance with zoning regulations, exceeding permissible limits, and deviation from Master Plan, among others.