Lagos maps 3,700 hectares of informal spaces for regulation

Lagos State has mapped about 3,700 hectares of informal urban space across 1,700 locations as it moves to regulate activities occupying public and incidental spaces.

The exercise covers setbacks, open spaces and public corridors that have become sites of informal commercial activity. The state says it is working with the private sector to identify, measure, reclaim, restore and designate locations for temporary use, particularly where informal businesses obstruct walkways, roadsides or other public routes.

Daisi Oso, general manager of the Lagos State Informal Space Management Authority, said the policy is intended to balance informal commerce with public safety and physical order in a densely populated city where land is increasingly limited. “Planning is a process. We must plan for and with our people. We can create business locations that will not jeopardise our informal spaces,” he said.

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Planning is a process. We must plan for and with our people. We can create business locations that will not jeopardise our informal spaces.

Oso said the government does not aim to prevent legitimate businesses from operating. Instead, it wants to regulate activities that obstruct movement, compromise safety or damage the physical environment. “You cannot clutter our walkways, roadsides and high-tension corridors. You cannot clutter lives,” he said.

The state has approved a partnership with Octagon to identify and map locations critical to managing informal activities. Officials will assess the sites and determine suitable temporary uses. LASISMA has also increased public sensitisation and the issuance of contravention notices, while bollards mark places where commercial activity is prohibited. Residents and operators have been urged to consult the agency before using such spaces.

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You cannot clutter our walkways, roadsides and high-tension corridors. You cannot clutter lives.