From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
The Federal Government has given a one month ultimatum to developers on the shoreline in Lagos to come up for regularisation or risk revocation and demolition of their properties.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Ahmed Dangiwa issued the ultimatum on Thursday after the inspection visit to the Lagos Lagoon Estates and shoreline front.
Dangiwa who was on official working visit to Lagos State to inspect the Federal Government landed property and assets, was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi and some directors of the ministry.
The minister stated that developments on the Lagos shoreline must be orderly and in line with existing laws and regulations, adding that his meeting with the Lagos State Governor on Wednesday arrived at a common agreement that the Federal Government and Lagos State Government will work together to ensure there is disciplined development on the Lagos shoreline.
“The Federal Government is taking stock of its assets and landed property with the view to having proper documentation of its assets spread across the country,” he said.
Dangiwa, who took a boat tour with his team and officials of the Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to see things for himself, explained that, what they found on the lagoon shoreline in Lagos was alarming. The shoreline, according to him, is littered with irregular developments where people carved some areas, sandfilled it and built without first obtaining Federal Government’s title and necessary documentations.
“There is no room for haphazard developments on the Lagos Shoreline. We are working with Lagos State to fix these anomalies”, Dangiwa said.
Recall that the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has the rights to issuance and administration of title on shorelines in accordance with the Land (Title Vesting) Act 1975; and through NIWA, grants permit to dredging along the shoreline, while the state government has the control over physical development on the shoreline.
He emphasised that the federal government will not tolerate such haphazard development and irregular activities on the shoreline, hence the ultimatum.
In a statement, other federal government’s sites visited by the minister in Lagos today include; Ogbogbo Housing Project, Ikorodu and Ikorodu Low Cost Housing sites.
The minister will be rounding off his working visit with a stakeholder engagement on Friday, December 13, 2024.