The Oyo State Government has announced that it will start delivering violation notices to traders and inhabitants of Ibadan and its surroundings for buildings that have been illegally built on flood plains, blocking rivers, and constructions under high tension powerlines.
After meeting with important industry players on Thursday, the Commissioner for Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, Town-Planner Emmanuel Olusegun Olayiwola, lamented the current state of physical planning in Oyo State and said that the government is now concerned about it.
He also criticized the illegal construction under powerlines in the State, claiming that some pipeline developments and high-tension cable construction go against the State’s physical planning laws.
In the end, according to Olayiwola, illegal development operations in the State that did not follow planning standards gave rise to the proliferation of illegal constructions all over the State.
The Commissioner warned that if illegal developments were not stopped in a timely manner, state people would be in grave danger.
According to him, the Ministry would quickly take action in response to complaints from concerned State residents regarding the construction of structures beneath powerlines and the resulting health risk to the State’s good inhabitants.
He continued by saying that the State Government would soon start conducting property audits, enforcing planning regulations, and using technological breakthroughs.
In order to control the creation of demand notices, Olayiwola further claimed that the Oyo State Government had implemented a lands administration system.
He claimed that while the Ministry is close to doing away with manual invoices and bills, the Billing System has been deployed to eleven local government town planning offices in the Ibadan zone for testing.
Town planner Olayiwola continued by saying that the State Government has set up an enforcement operation to stop the State’s excessive urban blight growth.
“This exercise is just to ensure a sustainable, organized and livable environment for the citizens of the State”, he said.
The Commissioner for Lands however, sternly warned members of the public against attack and abuse on Government Officials in the course of duty.
