The Lagos State Government has clarified that residents of its social housing estates are required to obtain approval and pay administrative fees before carrying out structural alterations, including the installation of solar power systems.
The clarification was made by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Media, Wale Ajetunmobi, in response to a viral video showing enforcement officials from the state government confronting a resident over an unapproved solar installation.
According to him, the policy applies only to government-owned social housing estates and not to private homeowners across Lagos State.
He explained that solar installations in these estates are considered structural alterations because they may affect the original design, shared facilities, and overall functionality of the buildings.
Ajetunmobi noted that such modifications must first be approved by relevant departments within the Ministry of Housing, including Physical Planning and Survey units, before any installation can proceed.
He added that enforcement officers seen in the viral video were from the Monitoring and Compliance Unit of the Ministry of Housing, acting after the resident allegedly failed to obtain the required approval.
He also stressed that the regulation is necessary to prevent damage or liability issues arising from unapproved alterations, such as structural faults or fire incidents, which could affect other occupants in the estates.
The government reiterated that residents are free to install solar systems in private homes without such charges, but must comply with approval procedures when living in state-managed housing schemes.
