ABIODUN TAIWO, ABEOKUTA
Professionals in the real estate business in Ogun State have been advised to always follow due process before embarking on any development across the state.
The state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Olatunji Odunlami, gave the advice at the official launching of Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), ultra-modern office, Ogun State chapter, held at OPIC Towers, Abeokuta, the state capital.
The commissioner, who was represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs. Yetunde Dina, said in recent times, many real estate developers in the state had been in the habit of advertising landed properties for sale in prints and electronics media without obtaining necessary approvals from the state government.
The commissioner said government was determined to curb such illegal and indiscriminate physical development activities, in order to check proliferation of slums in the state.
“As we are all aware, the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) is the principal body and umbrella of the organised real estate sector (private) in Nigeria, having been conferred with official recognition by the Federal Government of Nigeria in November 2002.
“From the inception of the administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun in May 2019, REDAN had been working in collaboration with the Ogun State government to effectively sanitise the housing sector and ensure that due processes are followed before embarking on any development across the state,” he said.
“There is need to lay more emphasis on the need to obtain approval/permit from the state government before advertising any land for sale, to avoid being sanctioned.
“Advertising and selling of estate land without obtaining all the necessary documents according to Ogun State layout and Land Subdivision Regulation, 2020, is counter-productive to the proper urban development and management drive of the state government.
“Before purchasing any land for real estate purpose, some procedures must be followed, which include the following, among others:
“Approaching the Bureau of Land and Survey to verify if the land is genuine, i.e. outside government acquisition, as residential estate cannot be sited just anywhere, as some areas have been designated/zoned ‘non-residential,’ while some are committed government acquisitions; approaching the Ministry of Physical Planning or any registered town planning consultants for the design of layout.
“The law mandates anyone with landed property of one hectare to apply for layout permit from the state Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development before selling or developing such land,” he added.
Earlier in his welcome address, the General Secretary of REDAN, Babatunde Adeyemo, assured stakeholders of the readiness of members of the association to play by the rules as stipulated by the government.
“We, the Ogun REDAN executives, want to assure you of our zeal to ensure that our members play by the rules of the game at all times,” he said.
Present at the programme were the state Surveyor-General, Dr. Ken Salem Tunde Onososen; the South-West Chairman of REDAN, Mr. Debo Adejana; and General-Secretary, REDAN, South-West, Dr. Kunle Adeyemi, among others.
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