Press Releases

Fashola Signs Law On Administration Of Physical Planning, Urban Development
• Urges compliance to save lives

Jul 5, 2010 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Monday signed a law to provide for the administration of Physical Planning, Urban Development, Urban Regeneration and Building Control with an appeal to Lagos residents to embrace the law in order to save lives.

In his remarks before assenting to the law at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, Governor Fashola pointed out that experiences across the globe shows that when cities or towns are well planned, it becomes easier to provide social services as well as save lives in times of disasters which, according to him, are inevitable in towns and cities.

Citing example with Haiti and Kobe in Japan where earthquakes recently struck, Governor Fashola noted, "A report by a team of world renowned architects and town planners found out that more people died in Haiti because of failure of urban planning and that even-though the Earthquake was more intense in Japan fewer people died because the city was well planned".

"This is the choice we have to make today. Urban planning will save lives, it will make life better for all of us; it will help us know that you are there. If you submit a plan for a building, we will know how many people are expected to live in that building", the Governor noted adding that the submission of a correct building plan would be beneficial not only for supply of appropriate basic social amenities but also in times of accidents.

Warning against submission of incorrect building plans, the Governor declared, "If you supply a building plan to us that tells us that it is a two-storey building and you build a seven-storey building, when we are coming, God forbid, if there is a fire, we will be coming with a truck not a telescopic ladder to climb the high-rise building".

"It is from your plan that we know that you are in the society. It is from your plan that we can plan to respond to you and this is what some of the provisions of the law heralds", the Governor said adding, "A law will only start the process. Ultimately, it is what we do as a people, how we strictly observe its provisions that will take us to the dream we aspire to".

Governor Fashola who said public assent to the law would start a journey towards fulfilling a promise which he made on behalf of the State Government three years ago when a building collapsed in Oke-Arin, explaining that in the process leading up to the preparation of the Executive Bill before its presentation to the House of Assembly he and members of the Government have learnt a lot.

"I have learnt, particularly that there are instances when buildings collapse because very unsuitable materials have been used in making the blocks. We have learnt that buildings collapse because of fire that have resulted from the use of poor quality materials for the wiring and electrification", the Governor said.

He expressed gratitude to all the stakeholders both committees and individuals who gave support to the preparation of the bill, particularly the artisans, including bricklayers and block makers who, according to him signed up to the law and gave their assent to it and promised to partner with the Government as long as they are given the opportunity to organize and practice their trade in an acceptable manner.

"They even gave their support and inspired us to remove all those people who make blocks by the roadsides. They are part of the problem and the association was ready to integrate legitimate operators of the industry", the Governor said adding, "This law heralds a new beginning for us to choose the type of life that we want".

According to the Governor, "Your Government has envisioned that life, a life where investment in real property can be truly beneficial and meaningful. From today onwards, it will be the people's choice to make".

He expressed gratitude "to all the people who have worked in the process leading to this stage – Habitat 2011 Committee, a committee made up of stakeholders in this society who have worked without remuneration, architects, and estate surveyors, real estate developers who have put their services and time at the disposal of our Government".

The Governor also thanked "my colleagues in Government especially the Honourable Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban development and members of his Ministry with whom I continue to meet regularly to address the urban and physical challenges of Lagos."

"I thank all our very reliable and industrious House of Assembly, especially the Chairman of the House Committee on Physical Planning and Environment for a job well done", the Governor said adding, "I believe that in this law, we have offered our best but like all laws, we are limited by the knowledge and experience and skills of those who framed them. They will serve as useful guard-posts as we go forward".

The Governor said the involvement of insurance companies in the construction of buildings would also open avenues for more job opportunities for graduates of insurance as well as insurance firms who will in turn employ more people, adding, "By working with the private sector, building control compliance will be easier".

Earlier, while introducing the law, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political and Legislative Powers, Hon. Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef, explained that what has been done in the law is to insist that every building development during the process of its undertaking must carry its contractor's all risk insurance "not only for the safety of the men and women who work on the site but also as a strategy to ensure that there is private sector involvement here".

On Building Control, the Special Adviser said, "The establishment of Building Control Agency helps to separate planning permit issuance from building control. It means that once the planning permit has been issued, building control takes over and ensures that you build according to plan and that the building used the same materials in the plan. This is the way we can now ensure that building codes are enforced".

Also present at the occasion were the Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development. Town Planner Francisco Abosede and other members of the State Executive Council, some stakeholders from the private sector as well as other top government functionaries.