No permit for filling stations in Lagos till further notice-LASG

The Lagos State Government says no new permit will be issued for the construction of filling stations across the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Town planner Anifowose Abiola, made this declaration on Tuesday in Alausa, Ikeja, at the Ministerial Press Briefing to commemorate the second year anniversary of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in office.

According to him, a committee had been set up to take inventory of existing filling stations across the state, so as to do a proper documentation and assessment, before filing a report to the Ministry for further action.

“Due to cases of filling stations located in residential areas, incidents of fire outbreaks and other matters related to endangering the lives of Lagosians, and the proliferation of these filling stations, we have decided to put on hold, the issuance of permits for the construction of filling stations in Lagos till further notice,” he said.

Anifowose added that the proposed cable car which had been in the offing in the last 16 months or thereabout, would be introduced this year, subject to executive approval. On the relocation of Mile 12 market to Imota, he said it was a done deal and that the relocation would take place before the end of the year.

The Commissioner stated that in the last one year, the governor had approved the employment of 375 professionals made up of Architects, Engineers and Builders. The professionals, he said, were employed and deployed to monitor building construction and enforce laid down regulations in the state.

The employment of these professionals, he said, was one of the strategies put in place by the State government to forestall the collapse of buildings in Lagos, saying that there hadn’t been any recorded building collapse in Lagos in the last one year.

On event centres, and the nuisance they were posing to Lagosians and motorists especially, he said they were being closely monitored and a committee had indeed been set up to take an inventory of their activities.

He reiterated that any structure under high tension electricity transmission cables are illegal and would be consequently removed.

Anifowose concluded by saying that the government had paid compensation to those affected by the several demolitions in the state, to the tune of billions of naira.

On the tank farms in Apapa and the encumbrances they posed, he said Governor Ambode was deeply concerned and as such, had made several visits there. He added that the governor had held series of meetings with relevant authorities on the matter.