Lagos gives ultimatum to occupants of public setbacks

The Lagos State Government has issued a seven-day ultimatum to illegal occupants and operators of makeshift structures encroaching on setbacks of public institutions or face prosecution.

Daisi Osho, the General Manager of the Lagos State Informal Space Management Authority (LASISMA), gave the directive on Monday.

This was during the inauguration of an enforcement campaign at the perimeter fence of the newly-constructed Ojo General Hospital along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that LASISMA, formerly known as the Lagos State Planning and Environmental Monitoring Authority, is responsible for regulating informal business activities.

The authority also ensures orderliness in road setbacks, rail corridors, and open spaces.

Osho said those affected by the directive include informal traders, makeshift stall owners, and roadside operators.

He said: “Those occupying unauthorised areas around public institutions, including hospitals and schools, must dismantle their structures and vacate within seven days.

“The move is aimed at preventing traffic congestion and ensuring unhindered access for security operations, health emergencies and critical patient care.”

He added that while the ongoing sensitisation campaign allowed voluntary compliance, strict enforcement would follow immediately after the expiration of the notice.

Osho said the exercise marked the beginning of a statewide enforcement drive against the growing abuse of public infrastructure setbacks.

He said: “The exercise marks the commencement of an enforcement campaign against the widespread abuse.

“This is, in particular, the encroachment of informal urban space abutting the perimeter fence of the newly constructed Ojo General Hospital.

“The purpose of the campaign is to sensitise illegal occupants.

“It is also to serve contravention notices on persons and structures illegally occupying setbacks of roads and corridors reserved for public buildings and critical government infrastructure.”

Osho explained that the initiative was part of LASISMA’s statutory mandate to safeguard public infrastructure corridors and restore access to spaces meant for optimal use of critical facilities.

According to him, the government is intensifying efforts across the metropolis to reclaim public corridors, reduce bottlenecks around key social infrastructure and restore urban order.

He said: “Things must always be done properly and with absolute discipline.

“Infrastructure like this hospital is built for the collective well-being of the people, and emergency routes cannot be compromised for informal commercial activities.”

Osho reiterated the state government’s commitment to organising the informal sector through designated markets, warning that illegal occupants of public setbacks would no longer be tolerated.

He added: “Look at where we are standing vis-à-vis the ground floor of the general hospital, it is about 1.8 metres difference, yet people dump waste here daily.

“The government is not against people doing business, but it must be done in designated places created for that purpose.

“There are areas already designated in our operational development plans for marketplaces and other uses.

“No more illegal encroachment on our setbacks. 

“We are starting with the government institutions and will extend to other affected areas.”

Osho emphasised that although Lagos remained open to all, residents and business operators alike must comply with established laws guiding the use of public spaces.