Lagos State Targets Unauthorised Property Boom
Packed with new estates and dreams of city living, Lagos keeps growing, sometimes too fast for the rules to catch up. Now, the government is pulling the brakes on unchecked property expansion by spotlighting illegal estates—176 of them, to be exact. If developers don’t clean up the paperwork mess within the next 21 days, they’ll face consequences they won’t like.
Estates in places like Eti-Osa, Ajah, Ibeju-Lekki, and Epe suddenly find themselves on notice. The Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development isn’t playing around. Signed off by Mukaila Sanusi, their statement was clear: these estates skipped the basic step of getting official layout approvals. Some big names landed on the list—Adron Homes in Elerangbe, Aina Gold Estate in Okun-Folu, Diamond Estate in Eputu, and more. The warning? Don’t think you can outsmart the system. If you’re a developer in these estates, your clock is ticking.
Why the Rush for Regularization?
So, why does this even matter? Lagos’s Permanent Secretary, Oluwole Sotire, says letting developers build wherever—without approvals or proper planning—messes up the city’s growth. It creates haphazard neighborhoods, chokes infrastructure, and makes it tough for things like roads, schools, or water services to reach everyone. It’s not just paperwork for the sake of rule-following. It’s about avoiding chaotic cityscapes and unfinished promises to residents who want reliable living standards.
Lagos’s urban planning goals are tied to its T.H.E.M.E.S+ agenda, which is a plan for a modern, liveable city. Dodging the rules throws a wrench in that vision. If everyone just builds without a plan, it makes life harder for those trying to build a better Lagos—builders and residents alike.
The state is equally pushing the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) requirements. This is meant to keep fly-by-night operators out and make sure developers know their stuff and play by the rules. Other regions could soon follow suit if Lagos’s crackdown sets a new standard.
What happens next? Developers must send in all needed compliance and approval documents to the Ministry’s office at Alausa within the deadline. No exceptions. The message is blunt: sort things out or risk heavy sanctions, which in worst-case scenarios could mean demolition of unapproved structures.
This clampdown is more than a warning. It’s Lagos trying to balance fast-paced growth with real planning, making sure people’s dream homes don’t come at the cost of the city’s future. For now, all eyes are on estate developers—will they straighten out, or push their luck?
