Pelican Valley in Discussion with Experts On Path For Equitable, Sustainable Urban Planning, Development In Ogun, Lagos

Worried by the seemingly proliferation of slums, informal settlements, congestion and other nuisances in the nation’s built industry, professional town planners and estate developers converged in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital for a two – Day workshop, to deliberate and chart a path to equitable and sustainable town, urban and regional development.

Gathering on the theme: ‘The impact of emerging technologies on urban and regional planning: challenges and opportunities,’ at the event, organised by the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON), the discussants, largely from the Town Planning profession and notable players in the built – industry, including the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pelican Valley Nigeria Limited, Ambassador (Dr) Babatunde Adeyemo, were in agreement that government is central to planning, enforcement of building guidelines and provisions essential services, particularly infrastructure to ignite development and liveable human settlements.

They expressed the concern that places like Allen Avenue,Ikeja, Adeniran Ogunsanya, Lagos were in the 60s and 70s marked as residential areas until shops and clubs started creeping in, forcing many of the residents to leave for somewhere else as their once residential settings steadily lost its grip and sanity to surging commercial activities.

They equally pointed out Admiralty Way in Lekki and dozens of other places in Lagos that have lost their original design as residential settings, and regrettably giving way inexorably to commercial and social activities as well as other nuisances because the government or its relevant agencies were not there to enforce the physical planning and building regulations.

have the power to take action. The administration of land decree of 1978 puts land in the hand of the Governor.

“No society can move forward without law and order. The private sector thrives in the building industry when rules are followed, the key to unlocking this relationship between the governments and the private sector is implementation of building guidelines and regulations.”

Responding, Tpl. Abiodun Adewolu, the Senior Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Urban & Regional Planning, identified government challenges regarding physical planning and development.

Adewole said despite the regulations in place to serve public interest, problems of infrastructure deficiency, road network, water supply, and the problem of informal settlement which has grown up to become slums as well as the problem of congestion in all ramifications – social and physical congestion, abound to make government efforts at finding solutions a daunting task.

He urged citizens to follow physical planning regulations and development laws as they are of public interest and a product of lawmakers, who are representatives of the same people.

Adewolu said, “Planning is a response to situations that affect society negatively, it is to create an environment that is liveable, where we can live, a settlement where you can live comfortably devoid of any risk. All these should be catalogued the interest of the people and injected into development plan, be it town, urban, district or regional plan It spelt out where school should be, where market or commercial activities should be so that there will be no room for informal settlement that grows into slums.

“So, in the end, everyone will live a good life but unfortunately, it is structured in a public sector led process that may entail what people , govt abridge the interest of people. Revenue generation not public interest.Town planning is not meant to be revenue generation, it should be a total public interest, but the situation has changed and that is why we are having this dilemma to a large extent.”

Similarly, Oluwole Sotire, an engineer and permanent secretary, ministry of physical planning and urban development, Lagos State, said government has a responsibility to render service to the people – citizens, it serves but also noted that citizens too are expected to pay land taxes/levies.

“We must first of all understand that citizens have to pay tax or levies to government. Whether it is equitable is another question. However, efforts should be made to involve proper stakeholders and the rest of the citizens to ensure beneficial planning and good governance,” he said.

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FG to seize mortgaged property of retirees over unpaid housing loans

The Federal Government has announced plans to seize mortgaged properties from retired civil servants who failed to fully repay housing loans obtained during their service.

The move was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by Mrs. Ngozi Obiechina, Head of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board (FGSHLB), quoting the Board’s Executive Secretary, Mrs. Salamatu Ahmed.

She said the initiative is part of efforts to recover outstanding loans and enforce mortgage terms.

The decision follows a recent memo from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service, reminding workers that obtaining a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness from the FGSHLB and MDA Cooperatives is a condition for retirement.

She added that retirees who fail to settle their debts risk losing their mortgaged properties, as the Board is empowered to take legal action under Public Service Rule 021002 (p), which mandates loan clearance before exit from service.

“I am directed to bring to your attention the provision of Public Service Rule (PSR) 021002 (p), which mandates all public servants to obtain a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness as a prerequisite for retirement.”

“The Federal Government will commence the seizure of mortgaged properties belonging to retiring federal public servants who have failed to fully repay housing loans obtained from the board,” Ahmed said.

She noted that the directive also extends to already retired officers who remain indebted, advising them to regularise their loan status and obtain the necessary clearance certificate. She reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to enforcing compliance and pursuing loan recovery through appropriate legal and administrative channels.

What you should know

The Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board (FGSHLB) was established to facilitate home ownership for federal civil servants through structured loan schemes. However, the board has continued to face challenges in recovering loans, particularly from retired beneficiaries.

The latest enforcement effort reflects growing concern over the backlog of unpaid loans, which may affect the board’s ability to extend housing support to serving civil servants.
Following the latest enforcement effort of the board, the requirement for a Certificate of Non-Indebtedness will be increasingly enforced across federal MDAs as part of broader efforts to promote fiscal responsibility and safeguard public resources.
The FGSHLB’s action highlights its renewed commitment to loan recovery, including from retired officers.

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Federal Housing Authority warns against fake Festac land offers, confirms exclusive allocation rights

The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has issued a public warning regarding fraudulent land sale offers in Festac, Lagos, affirming its exclusive authority in allocating land in the area.

The warning follows a purported offer letter from New Festac Property Development Company Ltd., demanding N49,151,645 for a residential plot and claiming a partnership with the FHA to issue title documents.

This announcement was made in a statement released by FHA management on Wednesday, where the authority denied any involvement in the offer, reiterating that it alone has the authority to allocate land in Festac, backed by a global Certificate of Occupancy from the Federal Government.

“The attention of the Management of Federal Housing Authority has been drawn to a provisional Offer Letter for the sale of a plot of land at New Festac Town Phase II District, Lagos, on the New Festac Property Development Company Ltd signed by one Simon Egodigwe, for the company’s Managing Director. The said provisional Offer letter is demanding for the sum of forty nine million, one hundred and fifty one thousand, six hundred and forty five Naira, for a residential plot measuring 651.178 square meters, to be made in favour of New Festac Property Development Company Ltd, into a Wema bank account,” the statement read in part.

It added, “For the records, Federal Housing Authority is the owner of the entire land in Festac Town, Lagos, for which it was issued a global Certificate of Occupancy by the Federal Government. This makes FHA the only authority that can issue a letter of allocation on any land in Festac Town.”

The FHA further emphasized that any legitimate land allocation in Festac would be formally issued and signed by the FHA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive.

More insights

The statement further clarified that while the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) entered into a partnership with New Festac Property Development Company Ltd. for the development of part of Festac Phase II, the project has not been finalized. Currently, only sand filling is ongoing at the site, with no formal agreements in place between the FHA and the company.

In this context, the FHA expressed concern over how New Festac Property Development Company Ltd. arrived at the land price being demanded from the public, as the total project cost is yet to be determined.
The Authority emphasized that it cannot verify the authenticity of the provisional offer letter circulating for the sale of land in Festac, advising the public to disregard the offer and refrain from engaging in any related transactions.
The FHA also reminded the public that it is the sole authority for issuing land allocation letters in its estates, with all such letters signed by its Managing Director and Chief Executive

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