By Lukman Olabiyi
Dr Oluyinka Olumide, Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, announced that the state government approved 37,266 building permits from 2019 to 2024 under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
Speaking at the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing, Olumide stated the permits covered residential, commercial, mixed-use, and institutional buildings. In 2024, the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) approved 95 hospitals, 27 petrol stations, 151 shopping malls, and 95 schools, among others.
Olumide noted the success of the 180-day Amnesty Programme (May to December 2024), which boosted compliance for building regularisation.
“Between May and July 2024, we granted 2,151 approvals. From August to October, we received 6,402 applications and granted 3,570 approvals. The final phase, from November to December, saw 7,210 applications and 3,135 approvals,” he said.
The programme recorded 18,489 applications and 8,856 approvals, surpassing the pre-amnesty record of 2,201 by 6,655. In 2025, January and February saw 2,084 applications and 1,369 approvals.
The commissioner urged developers and property owners to utilise the ministry’s planning information service and comply with regulations to ensure orderly development.