President Bola Tinubu on Saturday warned developers not to erect structures on the setbacks around the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
“Let me, at this stage, warn all developers. The Federal Government will enforce the setbacks, if not for anything; it is for the interest of our nation,” Tinubu said at the commissioning of the first 30 kilometres of the highway in the Lekki area of Lagos.
The distance a building must be from a road or property line, generally ranging from 3 metres to 9 metres, is known as ‘setbacks’.
In Lagos, setbacks are enforced by the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) and the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) to ensure proper ventilation, privacy, safety, and urban order.
The president said the building of houses and other structures on setbacks around the highway won’t be tolerated. He further stated that such structures would be demolished without compensation.
“Development without approval will not be compensated (if demolished). We have gazetted and published the setbacks. We are going to enforce it rigidly in every way possible,” he said.
Tinubu also urged road users to maintain the newly commissioned piece of infrastructure.
“As we celebrate today, let us reflect on our collective responsibility to preserve our infrastructure. The government can build roads but this is left for us citizens to maintain. Motorists and residents alike are hereby encouraged to utilise this opportunity very effectively and well,” he said.
The event was attended by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, Finance Minister Wale Edun, and Works Minister Dave Umahi, as well as second-term governors including Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), and Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), among others.
