Viral video: Why Lagos-owned estates need approval for solar panels — Official

The Lagos State Ministry of Housing has reiterated its policy requiring residents of government-owned housing estates to secure official approval before installing solar panels or making any external modifications to their units. This clarification comes in the wake of a viral video that depicted ministry officials confronting a resident at the Lagos State Millennium Housing Estate over an unapproved solar panel installation, leading to widespread discussion and some misunderstanding.

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An allottee must obtain approval from the Ministry for any intended alteration to the flat allocated and the building, and this includes installation of solar panels.

According to Abdulhafis Toriola, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, the requirement for approval is stipulated in the Letter of Allocation and Allottees Guide provided to all beneficiaries. He emphasized that government estates are designed as social housing schemes with interconnected shared infrastructure, including rooftops and walls, serving multiple families within a single block. The guidelines are crucial to prevent structural and safety issues, such as leaking rooftops and fire outbreaks, which have been attributed to unapproved solar panel installations in the past.

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This is to prevent disputes when multiple occupants in a block seek to install solar panels on the same roof.

Toriola clarified that this policy specifically applies to government estates and does not affect private property owners across Lagos. The regulations are intended to manage shared resources like roof space equitably among residents and to ensure the overall integrity and safety of the buildings. The ministry's intervention in cases of unapproved installations aims to mitigate risks that could impact the entire building structure and its occupants, underscoring the importance of adhering to established guidelines for communal living.

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In recent times, the Ministry had to intervene in fixing leaking rooftops and incessant fire outbreaks caused by solar panel installation by some residents.