Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reconstituted the Lagos State Physical Planning and Building Control Appeals Committee, tasking the new 14-member body with ensuring fairness and accountability in the state’s physical and urban planning system.

Governor Sanwo-Olu inaugurated the committee on Tuesday at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Marina, appointing Town Planner Funmi Osifuye as chairman for a three-year tenure.

The committee, made up of professionals drawn from the physical planning and legal sectors, is responsible for overseeing regulatory activities and investigating professional misconduct within the urban planning framework of the state.

The committee was established under Section 79 of the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law of 2010 (as amended), with its full operations commencing in 2019.

Speaking during the inauguration, Sanwo-Olu said the committee had been granted full executive authority to review disputes and scrutinise the operations of regulatory Ministries, Departments and Agencies involved in physical planning and building control.

According to the governor, no regulatory system operated by humans could be completely free from error, stressing the need for an independent mechanism for redress.

He said: “No system administered by human beings is infallible. Where decisions can be wrong, there must also be a pathway for redress. It is, therefore, right and necessary to have an independent body to which any aggrieved developer, professional, property owner, or institution may turn when they believe a decision has been made unfairly, incorrectly, or without due regard to their rights. That body is this Committee.”

Sanwo-Olu explained that the appeals committee derives its powers from Section 82 of the Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law, giving it authority to investigate and decide on issues relating to planning permit applications, development plans, changes of use, demolition orders, approvals-in-principle, regulatory notices, and the conduct of planning and building control officials.

“It may call for documents, summon witnesses, and consult the full body of physical planning law and regulations in the State. Its orders are binding; the Law requires that relevant agencies enforce them, just as they would enforce orders of the High Court. This is a significant mandate,” the governor said.

He urged members of the committee to discharge their responsibilities fairly and independently, noting that planning decisions often affect investments, livelihoods and community well-being.

“The Committee is set up to be fair to all parties,” Sanwo-Olu stated.

The governor also linked the importance of effective regulation to recurring safety concerns in the built environment, particularly incidents of building collapse, which he said had negatively affected lives and property investments in the state.

He maintained that strict building regulations were necessary to protect lives and safeguard investors’ interests, adding that aggrieved parties would have 28 days to file appeals for review.

“The right to appeal a regulatory decision is fundamental. The Committee’s independence is the foundation of its value. Members are not to validate government decisions reflexively, nor to undermine the legitimate authority of the regulatory agencies,” he added.

Sanwo-Olu further assured the committee of the state government’s support and commitment to implementing its findings where necessary.

“I want to make one commitment to this Committee on behalf of the State Government that we will respect your findings.

“Where your decisions reveal gaps in how our planning agencies communicate, process, or enforce their decisions, we will take those findings seriously and act on them,” he said.

Responding on behalf of the committee, Chairman Funmi Osifuye pledged that members would carry out their responsibilities with fairness and respect for the rights of all stakeholders involved in the state’s physical planning system.