Stakeholders have urged the Lagos State government to take practical steps to implement the Lagos Island Model City Plan and address infrastructure challenges.

The stakeholders, at a meeting between the Lagos Heritage Group and Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, also said the implementation would help to protect the area’s historical and architectural heritage.

They emphasised the importance of securing the cooperation of property owners, particularly families, through proper engagement and incentives to ensure successful regeneration and development of Lagos Island.

The vice chairman of Lagos Island Local Government, Babatunde Aro-Folami, urged the state government to show commitment to the proposed regeneration, particularly in managing and developing government-owned property.

Mr Aro-Folami said that although preparing a city plan is important, implementing it would be difficult without addressing challenges such as congestion, uncontrolled commercial activities and long-term lease agreements on private property.

He expressed concern that government-owned property, particularly those on the Tinubu axis and Tom Jones axis, had been handed over to private developers, who were developing them mainly for profit.

According to him, some families the government hopes to engage have leased their property to developers for up to 30 years, making it difficult to secure their participation in the proposed regeneration.

He advised the state government to consider legislative measures to address potential obstacles to implementing the plan.

Earlier, the state commissioner for physical planning and urban development, Olunuyi Olumide, said the Lagos Island Model City Plan had been completed.

Mr Olumide said the next major task would be to create awareness and secure participation of relevant stakeholders.

On abandoned buildings, the commissioner said evacuating occupants is not always straightforward because some properties were involved in legal disputes.

He said that Lagos, with an estimated population of more than 30 million, is experiencing significant pressure on its limited land area, making effective physical planning necessary.

The commissioner said the government is considering a central sewage system for Lagos Island because the area is already saturated and lacks adequate space for soakaways.

On heritage preservation, Mr Olumide said the government recognised the importance of protecting buildings with historical value, adding that different approaches could be adopted depending on the property’s nature and ownership.

He said the government could take over and preserve some heritage buildings, while others could be maintained through partnerships between the government and families.

Mr Olumide said the government is also considering a development model that would encourage three families to pool property and develop a building of up to 12 floors under government guidance. 

The commissioner also called for proper management of road setbacks, disclosing that the government had identified about 3,700 hectares of setbacks requiring attention. 

He said the government had made efforts to reclaim and regulate such spaces, which had increasingly been occupied by commercial operators.

Mr Olumide stressed the need for property owners to maintain appropriate building levels to prevent flooding, saying that buildings should be raised about 900 millimetres above existing road levels.

Responding to concerns about long-term property leases, the commissioner said Lagos remains a place where people could come and prosper.

Earlier, the head of the Ransome-Kuti Family and convener of the Lagos Heritage Group, Yemisi Ransome-Kuti, said the group was committed to building a smart city that would recognise its origins and accommodate the collective aspirations of residents and property owners.

Ms Ransome-Kuti recalled that the group met with the commissioner in April 2025, when several action points were identified, including addressing abandoned buildings and activities of miscreants occupying such property.

She urged the commissioner to provide updates on the implementation of the action points and called for quarterly meetings with a designated official to document proceedings and follow up on decisions.

A former Lagos State commissioner for physical planning and urban development, Francisco Abosede, called for resolution of drainage challenges around Jankara Market and adjoining streets before further land reclamation or sand-filling activities could be undertaken.

Mr Abosede said the drainage challenges remained unresolved and warned that further sand-filling without addressing the problems would worsen flooding.

He also called for establishment and enforcement of proper road rights of way, including removal of abandoned vehicles and other obstructions.

The Erelu-Odua of Lagos, Abiola Dosunmu-Kuti, commended the initiative, saying it had moved beyond discussions to practical steps toward achieving urban regeneration.

Ms Dosunmu-Kuti urged families to pool their land and other resources rather than pursue individual interests. 

The traditional title holder expressed willingness to make two or three family properties available for possible development into a showpiece project to encourage other property owners to participate.

She also supported the establishment of a body comprising representatives of government, traditional institutions and other stakeholders to coordinate the implementation of the plan.

(NAN)