Lagos Moves To Take Control Of Informal Spaces In Major Urban Reform

According to Ireporter Online, the Lagos State Government has announced plans to introduce firm measures to regulate and properly manage informal spaces across the state, in line with its physical planning responsibilities.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, made this known while unveiling the Ministry’s strategic focus for the year ahead. He explained that the government would rely on the provisions of the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law of 2019, as amended, to promote orderly land use and support sustainable urban development.

Dr. Olumide stated that the law empowers the Ministry to oversee physical planning, manage land use, coordinate development, and regulate spatial activities throughout Lagos, responsibilities which also extend to the administration of informal spaces. He described informal spaces as public open areas not originally intended for permanent occupation but increasingly taken over without official planning approval.

He noted that the unchecked use of road setbacks, pedestrian walkways, under-bridge areas, drainage corridors, and undeveloped government land presents serious risks to public safety, urban mobility, and environmental sustainability. The planned move to assume full administrative control over such spaces, he said, is aimed at strengthening land-use planning, fostering integrated urban development, and addressing unregulated activities along major corridors, gateways, and transitional zones across the state.

The Commissioner further disclosed that the Ministry has concluded arrangements to carry out extensive sensitisation and stakeholder engagement involving government agencies, market associations, transport unions, community leaders, and other relevant groups. He emphasised that collaboration and public buy-in would be essential to achieving compliance and shared ownership of the initiative.

According to him, the intervention goes beyond regulation, as it is designed to enhance orderliness at the city’s boundaries, improve the visual appeal and functionality of public spaces, and safeguard the integrity of the physical environment. He added that effective management of informal spaces would improve mobility, safety, environmental quality, and overall liveability in Lagos, in line with the state’s vision of building a resilient, inclusive, and well-planned megacity.

Dr. Olumide reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to deploying professional planning tools, strengthening inter-agency cooperation, and encouraging community participation to ensure that the exercise is conducted transparently, lawfully, and sustainably.