LASISMA showcases landmark achievements at ministerial press briefing
Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, alongside heads of agencies under the ministry, on Friday, presented the achievements, initiatives, and milestones recorded by the ministry at the ministerial press briefing commemorating the seventh anniversary of the administration of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Kadri Hamzat.
The briefing, held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja, highlighted the ministry’s strategic contributions to sustainable physical planning, environmental protection, infrastructure preservation, and effective management of public spaces across Lagos State.
Presenting the scorecard of the Lagos State Informal Space Management Authority (LASISMA), the Commissioner outlined several landmark achievements recorded by the agency in line with the THEMES Plus Agenda of the Sanwo-Olu administration.
Among the notable achievements was the approval granted by Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu for the engagement of Octragon Multi Projects Nigeria Limited as Consultant to partner with LASISMA in implementing the Setbacks, Common Areas and Roadside Administration Management Project (SCRAMP). The initiative is designed to unlock the social, economic, and environmental value of setbacks, common areas, roadside corridors, informal spaces, and incidental open spaces across the State.
According to the Commissioner, the SCRAMP initiative has led to the mapping of informal and incidental open spaces across Lagos, with the aim of curbing misuse, preventing abuse, promoting physical orderliness, and maximizing the economic potential of these spaces.
He disclosed that the project has so far mapped over 3,700 hectares of land across more than 1,700 locations, which will be properly designated by LASISMA for appropriate use and development in line with the relevant Operational Development Plans of the State.
To ensure effective implementation of SCRAMP, LASISMA has organized inter-agency stakeholders’ engagement and sensitization programmes involving key government institutions, including the Ministry of Transportation; Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment; Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources; Lagos State Electricity Board; Lagos State Valuation Office; Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency; Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency; and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency.
Dr. Olumide further disclosed that LASISMA has sustained real-time data gathering and collation of operators within informal urban spaces, positioning the agency as a major repository of reliable information for ministries, departments and agencies, as well as the Lagos State Government.
He also noted that LASISMA has strengthened the State’s preparedness for emerging land uses, particularly the installation of Electric Vehicle and Compressed Natural Gas charging and dispensing stations. This, he said, is aimed at promoting well-planned infrastructure corridors that support innovation, sustainability, and a resilient Lagos.
In addition, the agency has intensified the installation of bollards across selected locations in the State to clearly separate business activity areas from pedestrian walkways, prevent indiscriminate encroachment, and protect public spaces.
The briefing also highlighted LASISMA’s engagement with artisans operating on Informal Urban Spaces and Incidental Open Spaces, particularly professional carpenters and furniture makers at the High Tension corridor within Carpenter Village, along Jakande-Isheri-Osun Road, Oke-Afa, Ejigbo LCDA. The engagement was aimed at addressing identified challenges within the corridor and promoting safer, more orderly use of public spaces.
On intervention projects, LASISMA carried out comprehensive action plans along the AIT Road to Amikanle corridor, spanning more than four kilometres. The intervention involved reconnaissance surveys, drone mapping, data mining, stakeholder engagement, service of enforcement notices, erection of bollards and signposts, and preparation of an action plan to address land-use concerns and prevent continuous encroachment within High Tension wire corridors. The exercise was carried out in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, especially Agbado-Oke Odo LCDA.
Similarly, LASISMA undertook intervention activities around the Ojota-Opebi Link Bridge Project to prevent emerging encroachments.
Another intervention action plan was successfully executed from Teslim Balogun to Alhaji Masha and Kilo in Surulere, in collaboration with the Surulere Local Government and Community Development Associations.
The Commissioner also stated that, in line with its mandate under the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law, 2019, as amended, LASISMA has conducted research into sustainable alternatives to the wooden kiosks popularly known as “Kanta,” which contribute to littering, visual disorder, and defacement of the urban environment.
As part of this innovation, the agency has designed a standardized, fit-for-purpose, solar-powered kiosk model, with a roadmap for replacing unsustainable wooden structures used by informal business operators on Informal Urban Spaces and Incidental Open Spaces.
The initiative is intended to provide cleaner, safer, more sustainable, and better-organized workspaces for informal operators, while supporting environmental protection, aesthetics, security, data management, revenue generation, and urban resilience.
The Acting General Manager of LASISMA, Tpl. Daisi Oso, has also led several engagements with users of informal spaces as part of efforts to ensure that the socio-economic livelihoods of the urban poor are not undermined. Through sensitization, education, and field engagement, the agency continues to guide operators towards compliance with the new order for public space management.
LASISMA has also erected signposts and bollards at strategic locations, including Platinum Way, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Agbado-Oke Odo, and other parts of the State, to curb encroachment and ensure proper use of setbacks, walkways, and public spaces.
On revenue performance, the Agency recorded remarkable growth, surpassing the revenue target set by the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget. The Commissioner described the achievement as a reflection of improved operational efficiency, strategic revenue initiatives, and effective management practices within LASISMA.
Dr. Oluyinka Olumide reaffirmed the commitment of the ministry and its agencies to sustaining policies, programmes, and interventions that will continue to promote orderly development, environmental sustainability, infrastructure protection, and urban resilience in line with the vision of A Greater Lagos Rising.
