Plate 4.10 Environment and physical planning in Lagos megacity

The sprawling nature of Lagos as a megacity makes land issues important, both in terms of land ownership as well as in the case of the boundary between the different communities being integrated into its continuous built-up area. Access to land within the megacity is governed by the Land Use Act of 1978. This act, whilst conferring the right to grant statutory certificates of occupancy to parcels of land to state governors, also makes their consent mandatory for any land transaction, either for mortgage or assignment purposes. The act also allows the state or federal government to acquire land for public purposes on the payment of compensation as and when the land is utilised. Non-payment of compensation has encouraged encroachment and development of squatter settlements on such land.

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  The deployment of professional personnel to achieve optimum performance of the bureau.
  
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  The minimisation of land abuses especially those relating to corrupt practices and red tape.
  
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  Change of the mode of payment (to direct payment to designated banks) for services delivery by the Lands Bureau.
  
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  The creation of of templates for the conduct of business in the bureau.
  
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  The introduction of the Electronic Document Management System (EDMS).
  
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  Consent of Governor within 30 days instead of the prior 365 days.
  
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  Digital mapping of Lagos state to complement the effect of EDMS.
  
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  The reduction of consent fees, capital gains tax, stamp duty, and registration fees.
  
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  The establishment of the Directorate of Land Regularisation to eliminate the hitherto defective ratification procedure, to ensure easy access to land and checkmate corruption.
  
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  The introduction of new land administration policies to aid industrial, commercial, and housing requirements particularly affecting private developers’ schemes.
  
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  The introduction of new urban renewal policies that would create new towns out of old communities.
  
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  The introduction of a proactive policy on property regularisation and registration to develop a reliable database.
  
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  A review of the change-of-use policy to prevent the massive abuses of town planning and urban protection laws that have adversely affected Ikoyi, Victoria Island, and others and turned them into an urban slum. Both Ikoyi and Victoria Island were initially developed and high-brow middle class housing areas which over the years have increasing witnessed the conversion of residential buildings to offices, shopping plazas, banks and churches among others. The insensitive application of development control in these areas have occasioned the un-imaginable growth of vehicular traffic in residential areas as well as the nerve-breaking traffic congestions witnessed in these earsthwile quiet and beautiful residential neigbourhoods tht have been increasingly turned into high streets and central busnesnes districts.
  
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  A massive reclamation and expansion programme to increase the land mass available to the state for its use.
  
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  Mortgage registry.
  
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  Acquisition and excision registry.
  
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  An automated validation of receipts of payments.
  

The challenge for housing the ever-increasing population of Lagos metropolis is enormous. There is a serious overcrowding with a room occupancy of five to seven persons. Housing needs have been estimated for about 8 million, requiring an annual delivery of about 40,000 units. The land on which houses can be built is also in short supply and corporate financing of mass housing, particularly for the poor, is nearly absent. The organised private sector’s involvement and financing of housing has been directed mainly to cater for the medium- and high-income brackets. It has been suggested that there is a sense in which the proliferation of slums in the Lagos metropolis, especially in the peripheral areas, can be ascribed to the difficulties of producing houses for all categories of income levels, especially the low-income groups.

As a first step in the creation of a conducive environment, the state’s land policy reforms involved the following:

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  Land tenure and ownership reforms.
  
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  Establishment of a mortgage division in the Lagos state high court.
  
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  Thirty-day consent by the Governor (down from 365 days), mortgages 0.02 percent of loans, and consent 15 percent of land value.
  
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  Establishment of electronic land registry with web access.
  
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  Securing of tenure/titling through regularisation of illegal occupation of government land in slum communities.
  
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  Granting of certificate of occupancy in 90 days (down from 365 days).
  
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  Preparation of area action plans.
  
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  Controlled reclamation and development of land.
  
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  Introduction of housing mortgage financing.
  

The efforts of the government at encouraging PPPs in housing have started yielding fruits. Some private sector investors have completed their projects and others are at advanced stages of completion. Foremost among these are Messrs Cortex, Marimpex Imperial Homes, and First World Communities whose efforts have led to the completion of several housing units.

Another major challenge in the housing sector is the issue of sustenance/maintenance of these housing estates and their existing infrastructure. The government has upgraded the infrastructure in these estates, renovated the buildings, improved the common facilities, and beautified their surroundings. The estates which have been renovated in the state are the:

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  Millennium Housing Estate Gbagada I
  
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  Millennium Housing Estate Oko-Oba Agege
  
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  Millennium Housing Estate Alaagba Agege
  
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  Millennium Housing Estate Amuwo Odofin
  
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  Millennium Housing Estate Shasha
  
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  Millennium Housing Estate Oke-Eletu
  
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  Millennium Housing Estate Ibeshe
  
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  Millennium Housing Estate Lekki Scheme II
  
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  Oba Adeyinka Oyekan Housing Estate Lekki
  
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  Howson Wright Housing Estate Ojota
  
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  Ayangbunren Housing Estate Ikorodu
  
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  Abraham Adesanya Housing Estate Ikorodu
  
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  Jakande Housing Estate Amuwo-Odofin
  
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  Jakande Housing Estate Eric Moore
  
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  Michael Otedola Housing Estate Omole Phase II
  
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  Millennium Housing Estate Ojokoro
  

The government has also commenced the process of issuance of deeds of sub-lease to allottees, so that they can be registered to secure their property. The documents provided can then serve as collateral for raising new funds.