By: Tijani Salako.

The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, has said it is set to engage civil society groups and other stakeholders in addressing the growing challenge of informal spaces across the State.

The Ministry stated that the State Government would take decisive steps to regulate and administer informal spaces in line with its physical planning mandate.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Mukaila Sanusi, following remarks by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, while outlining the Ministry’s strategic direction for the coming year.

Going by the statement, the government plans to engage civil society groups, relevant government agencies, transport unions, market associations, community leaders, and other interest groups to ensure cooperation, compliance, and shared ownership of the initiative.

Dr. Olumide noted that the Ministry would leverage the powers conferred on it by the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law, 2019 (as amended), to ensure orderly land use and sustainable urban growth.

“The Law vests the Ministry with statutory responsibility for physical planning, land-use management, development coordination, and the regulation of spatial activities across the State, mandates that clearly encompass the administration of informal spaces,” the Commissioner said.

He explained that informal spaces are public open areas not designated for permanent use but increasingly occupied without planning approval, adding that the uncontrolled use of road setbacks, walkways, under-bridge areas, drainage corridors, and undeveloped government land poses risks to safety, mobility, and the environment.

Dr. Olumide stress that the planned assumption of full administrative control over informal spaces is aimed at strengthening land-use planning, achieving integrated urban development, and curbing unregulated activities in key corridors, gateways, and transitional zones across the State.

He further disclosed that plans had been concluded to embark on extensive sensitisation and engagement of both internal and external stakeholders, stressing that such engagement would be critical to the success of the initiative.

The Commissioner emphasised that the intervention is not merely regulatory but strategic, as it seeks to promote orderliness, enhance urban aesthetics, improve the functionality of public spaces, and protect the integrity of the physical environment.

He stated that effective control of informal spaces would contribute to improved mobility, safety, environmental quality, and overall liveability in Lagos, in line with the State’s vision of a resilient, inclusive, and well-planned megacity.

Dr. Olumide reassured the public of the Ministry’s commitment to deploying professional planning tools, inter-agency collaboration, and community participation to ensure that the exercise is carried out in a transparent, lawful, and sustainable manner.