Normalcy has returned to the real estate sector following the decision of the Lagos State government to review the tagging of 176 estates in the Lekki/Ajah corridor as illegal.

The restoration of normalcy is coming on the heels of the public outcry that greeted the tagging of the estates as illegal.

Recall that the state government had identified 176 estate developments, predominantly located in the Eti-Osa, Ajah, Ibeju-Lekki, and Epe axis of the state, giving them a 21-day ultimatum to process their layout approvals.

The estates, according to the government, were deemed illegal due to their failure to obtain layout approvals from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.

According to the Permanent Secretary, Office of Physical Planning, Engr. Oluwole Sotire, the illegal estates comprised the sustainable development ethos and the T.H.E.M.E.S+ Agenda of the Lagos State Government by operating without approved layouts.

The identified illegal estates include: Adron Homes, Elerangbe; Aina Gold Estate, Okun-Folu; Diamond Estate, Eputu; Prime Water View Garden, Ikate Elegushi; and Royal View Estate, Ikota, among others.

The Permanent Secretary had given the owners of these estates 21 days to submit the necessary documents to his office in the Ministry of Planning and Urban Development, Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, to process their layout approvals.

He stated that the exercise was a routine function of the Ministry, in line with its mandate to regulate the development of public and private estates in Lagos State by processing and granting layout approvals to foster a functional, organised, orderly, and resilient smart city, as encapsulated in the T.H.E.M.E.S+ Agenda of the state government.

He also emphasised the importance of all developers and real estate practitioners registering with the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA), which is responsible for regulating, coordinating, and monitoring real estate practitioners in the sector.

To underscore the need for proper registration of properties and by extension estates, Housing Minister Ahmed Dangiwa underscoring the lapses in the sector said only about five per cent of lands in the country have titles.

He dropped the hint that the Federal Government has promised to ensure the titling of lands in the next 10 years lamenting that land with titles is less than five per cent while the outstanding 95 per cent remains locked in informality, inaccessible for investment, and vulnerable to disputes.

He disclosed this at a stakeholders’ workshop on the Nigeria Land Registration, Documentation and Titling Programme (NLRDTP), in Lagos.

Responding to the threat of closure of the estates after 21 days for non-conformity,

The Nation learnt a sizeable majority of the Operators out of the 176 earlier identified for non-compliance had been coming up to regularize and submit their Layouts which was the crux of the matter. The initial deadline elapsed on the 26th of August but has been extended by additional two weeks to enable full compliance.

Speaking to the Nation, Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Physical Planning & Urban Development, Mukaila Sanusi confirmed the two weeks extension with a Caveat that after the two weeks the non-compliant estates will be completely sealed up.

Supporting government’s position on the estates, Chairman, African Real Estate Society (AfRES) Lagos Chapter, a leading professional organization that promotes excellence in real estate research, education, and practice in Africa, Adediran Adetunji stressed the need for owners of the concerned estates to ensure that the layout of the various estate are produced by the requisite professionals and submitted to the State government.

According to him, unless that is done, the estates will continuously be termed illegal in the eye of the law. He stressed that Real Estate investors want to be assured of the safety of their investment before taking the plunge.

According to him Operators in the sector should be seen as law-abiding for the safety of their investors and their businesses as well.

Managing Director, Metro Homes & Castle, Dr. Adekunle also urged on the need for the estate’s promoters to work with the relevant professionals to come up with their lay-outs and submit them to the government. He said without bringing this to a close the estates will continue to be tagged as illegal for failure to do the needful.

He said: “What government is saying is that they acknowledged that they sold this land to these people, the land needs to be mapped internally by professional Town Planners who are trained to do so. From the mass they will map it out to where the infrastructure will be recreation facilities, school, water treatment plant, waste management, clinic, roads can’t be done by the rule of the thumb, that’s why you see some estates so haphazard and each estate locked against the other one because nobody is sure of where a particular thing should be.

“Now, think of drainage systems in a very large estate of say over 2,000 blocks. If there’s no town planning, how do you link your drainage to your state’s waterways?

“You understand the issue of flooding. So, if the government doesn’t plan, the government will wake up on a particular day and be shocked that your drainage channel is not channelled into the main channel of the State and a huge problem will be created. It’s in the place of the government to ensure that water flows to the right place such as into a river or any other channel constructed. Unfortunately what these developers do is, when they acquire this land, most of them start selling without getting approval and putting their subscribers into a quagmire.” (The Nation, excluding headline)