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Lagos explains why it reintroduced 61-day Planning Permit Amnesty

The Lagos State Government has explained that the Planning Permit Amnesty Programme was reintroduced following an appeal from property owners who were unable to take advantage of similar opportunities last year.

This was made known by the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, at Alausa, Ikeja.

Olumide added that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had approved the reintroduction of the programme for the third time under his administration to allow owners of existing but unapproved buildings to regularise their buildings without paying the statutory penal fees that go with erecting buildings without a permit.

He stated that the current Amnesty window would run from November 1 to December 31, 2025, and urged concerned property owners and developers to seize the opportunity to perfect their building approvals.

Avoid legal complications, enforcements

According to the Commissioner, the Amnesty Programme would not only provide an avenue for the regularisation of unapproved developments but also help their owners avoid future legal complications, enforcement, and penalties.

Olumide further outlined the required documents for processing the Planning Permit in the reintroduced Amnesty Programme.

He listed the documents to include Title Document/Proof of Ownership, Survey Plan, Architectural Drawings (As-Built), Structural, Electrical, and Mechanical Drawings (where applicable).

Others are Non-Destructive Integrity Test Report, Letter of Structural Stability and Indemnity, Land Use Planning Analysis Report (LUPAR), Evidence of Tax Compliance, and Other Supporting Documents (where applicable).

He emphasised that all applications under the Amnesty Programme would be processed strictly in accordance with the extant Town Planning Regulations, noting that only buildings that meet the minimum acceptable standards would be issued approval under the amnesty programme.

Olumide restated Lagos State Government’s commitment to promoting orderly, safe, and sustainable physical development in line with its vision of a #Greater Lagos.

Interested applicants are advised to promptly submit their applications through any of the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) District Offices across the 57 LGAs/LCDAs in the State or via the Electronic Planning Permit (EPP) Office at LASPPPA Headquarters, Oba Akinjobi Way, GRA, Ikeja.

What you should know

The Lagos State Government had, in October 2025, announced the reintroduction of Amnesty on Planning Permit for existing buildings without approval for a period of 61 days.

It stated that the programme, which is to run from November 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025, is to encourage owners to regularize the affected properties as they will be able to obtain the planning permit without paying the expected penalty.

That was not the first time that the Lagos State Government would introduce such an initiative, as it conducted a similar exercise over 17 months ago, providing such an amnesty window for property owners to perfect their planning permits on completed buildings.

The programme had a stipulated period from May 2 to July 30, 2024, with property owners proceeding without payment of statutory penalties that usually go with erecting buildings without approval in Lagos State.

The government pointed out that the amnesty window will come in the form of a 3-month suspension of penalties.


Source: Naijaonpoint.com.