The Lagos State Government has clarified that residents living in its social housing estates are required to obtain and pay for alteration permits before installing solar power systems.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Wale Ajetunmobi, stated this on Wednesday while responding to a viral video showing task force officials from the state carrying out an enforcement operation on a building whose occupant failed to obtain the permit.
Ajetunmobi explained that the installation of solar power in the social housing estates is regarded as an alteration to the original design and functionality of an estate building.
“This development is true, but the man who made the video seems to be misinformed about the Lagos State Government’s guidelines for installing solar energy systems in social housing estates,” he wrote.
He explained that the Lagos State Government does not charge all residents in the state for a permit to install solar power systems, only residents living in government-owned social housing estates.
“The reason for this is that the State Government is responsible for maintaining facilities in its social housing estates. There is a public electricity supply system already installed in the Estates. Installation of an additional power system is taken as an alteration to the original design and functionality of an Estate building,” he said.
The governor’s aide added that any alteration must be run through the Physical Planning and Survey departments of the Ministry of Housing for approval, material compliance, and post-inspection checks.
Ajetunmobi disclosed that the enforcement officers recorded in the viral video are officials from the Monitoring and Compliance Unit of the Ministry of Housing, adding that the occupant in the video did not comply with alteration guidelines before proceeding.
He stressed that the State Government has had to deal with liability from unpermitted alterations by estate residents, including leaking roofs and severe damage caused by fire.
“The simple rule for any estate occupant is to contact the State Government for approval for any external alteration they want to undertake in their building,” Ajetunmobi concluded.
