Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reconstituted Lagos State Physical Planning and Building Control Appeals Committee charged with the responsibility to oversee regulatory activities and investigate professional wrongdoing within the urban planning system.

The Governor, on Tuesday, inaugurated the 14-man committee whose members were drawn from different sectors within the physical planning and legal ecosystem, appointing Town Planner Funmi Osifuye to head the team for a three-year term.

After their two-term tenure, former members submitted reports detailing their activities to the Governor.

Section 79 of the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law of 2010 (as amended) provided the statutory basis for the creation of the Committee as an independent adjudication body. Its full operations began in 2019.

Following the swearing-in of the new members at a ceremony held in the Banquet Hall of the State House, Marina, Sanwo-Olu granted the committee full executive authority to cleanse the planning environment and scrutinise operations within regulatory Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

The Governor emphasised that no well-intentioned regulatory system could be immune to error, noting that a government that solely focused on regulation without providing a mechanism for reviewing its activities would essentially place itself above accountability.

The reconstitution of the Committee, Sanwo-Olu said, would address public concerns in the State’s physical planning system, adding that the development would further aid the transitioning of the State regulatory oversight from a mere text to an institution.

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.

“Under Section 82 of the Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law (as amended), this Appeals Committee has the statutory authority to investigate and decide on matters relating to planning permit applications, development plans and layouts, changes of use, approvals-in-principle, demolition orders, the conduct of planning and building control officials, and the service of regulatory notices.

“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. I want the members of this Committee, and the public to understand what this means in practice.”

Sanwo-Olu said the necessity of an independent appeal body could not be overemphasised, given that planning decisions involved complex judgements, while the decisions would affect people’s investments, livelihoods, and community well-being.

The Governor said the State remained conscious of safety challenges in the built environment, stressing that the incidents of building collapse had negatively impacted lives and property investments.

The purpose of stringent building regulations, Sanwo-Olu said, was not bureaucratic formality but to preserve the sanctity of human lives and protect investors’ interests. Any planning disputes, he added, would have 28 days to appeal and have the decision examined.

The Governor said: “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. The Committee is set up to be fair to all parties.

“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.”

Osifuye, on behalf of the Committee members, pledged to conduct their affairs with respect to the rights of all stakeholders and parties.