Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State said on Wednesday that the State Government had issued no fewer than 706 building permits, between January and June this year.
Fashola told the members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) at the Government House in Lagos, that the issued permits showed that the government was responding well to meet the agitation for the document.
“I understand there are agitation for building permits in the state but patience must be exercised because the issue of building permits is complex.
“This is because once you give approvals for a property to be sited in a particular place, it is not only for today but for many years to come.
“The questions are will the property be taken over later for industrial use? That your house is your sweat while you are still working.
“Do you have to remove it when you are no more working because somebody made a mistake when issuing you permit?
“Those are the issues at the heart of town planning urban development. And you want to build under what condition and which terrain?
“We are having an increasing number of building collapses in the state and most cases involved buildings built many years ago when no soil test was done.
“People were just building anyhow they liked and that is why the consequences are haunting us today.
“So the essence of being meticulous in the issuance of permits is to address all these,’’ he said.
Fashola assured that all applications for permits were receiving due attention, saying they would be ready in due course.
The governor said that the State Government was doing everything to enhance the growth of businesses in the state.
Fashola said that the government was building new industrial parks and providing the necessary support for the smooth operations of industrial estates.
He, however, urged businesses operating in the state to comply with the state’s laws and operate in a sustainable manner.
The governor said the introduction of Hotel’s Consumption Tax by the government was to support infrastructure development of the state.
He urged hotels yet to comply with the tax to do so, saying it was in their interest and for the development of the state’s economy.
Earlier, Mrs Senapon Oworu, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, said that the government would continue to encourage the private sector, to realise their goals in the state.
She said the meeting with the OPS was to interact with organisations, share their challenges, with a view to responding to them.
