By Monireoluwa Lucas

The Lagos State government has ended the manual processing of building and physical planning approvals as part of efforts to deepen digital governance and advance its smart city ambition.

The state said all applications for planning permits must now be submitted and processed exclusively through the Electronic Physical Planning Processing System (EPPPS), bringing to an end the paper-based approval process.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, disclosed this at a public sensitisation programme organised to engage built-environment professionals on the implementation of the electronic planning approval system.

Olumide said the directive, which took effect on April 1, 2026, was designed to eliminate the delays, multiple human interfaces and other challenges associated with the manual processing of planning approvals.
According to him, the transition to EPPPS is not merely a technological upgrade but a fundamental reform aimed at making the planning approval process more transparent, efficient and user-friendly.
He said the system would reduce complaints associated with physical interaction between applicants and officials while enabling applicants to submit documents, monitor their applications and receive updates electronically.

“The government has created timelines and simplified the procedures to make the system user-friendly. We are appealing to the public and professionals to embrace the platform because the manual process, with its bulky paperwork, has been outlawed,” he said.

Olumide, however, warned applicants against submitting false information or forged documents, saying inconsistencies would be detected during the electronic processing of applications and could result in delays.
“If you submit a doctored survey plan or fail to meet requirements such as the stipulated setbacks and other necessary documentation, your application will be delayed until you comply. The system is designed to identify such inconsistencies,” he said.

The commissioner said the EPPPS had achieved full operational readiness, with all relevant personnel trained and computer systems and internet connectivity deployed across the district offices.

He added that applications submitted outside the electronic platform would no longer be recognised as valid planning applications.

“All applications must now go through the EPPPS platform exclusively. Anyone processing planning permits manually from this date is engaging in an illegal activity,” Olumide said.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Wasiu Olayinka, said the reform was intended to make the process of obtaining building approvals easier for Lagos residents and prospective property owners.

He said applicants would no longer need to make repeated physical visits to government offices, as the digital platform would enable them to apply for approvals from their homes or offices.

According to Olayinka, the full implementation of the EPPPS represents a major step in the state’s effort to modernise physical planning and improve service delivery.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Taxation, Abdul-Kabir Opeyemi Ogungbo, said the electronic system would strengthen transparency, accountability and data-driven planning in the state.

Ogungbo urged residents, developers and built-environment professionals to make full use of the platform, noting that applicants could track the progress of their applications and receive notifications without having to visit government offices.

He said the system would also help the government move away from a planning environment characterised by physical files, long queues and missing documents.

“We are aggressively moving away from the era of dusty files, long queues and missing documents. This software will strengthen the integrity of our land records and help boost investor confidence,” he said.
The guest speaker, Prof. Timothy Nubi, however, said digitising the approval process must be accompanied by broader reforms in the real estate sector if the industry was to contribute more significantly to economic development.

Nubi lamented what he described as the failure of real estate to attain its full potential in Nigeria, arguing that weak infrastructure, inadequate investment and policy challenges had constrained the sector.

He said secure land titles remained critical to unlocking the economic value of property, noting that untitled assets represented a significant pool of dead capital globally and in Africa.
“When real estate begins to play its proper role in the economy, the sector will become healthier. Without title, you cannot create wealth in the way we see in countries such as the United States and Dubai,” Nubi said.

He cited estimates putting global dead capital held in untitled assets at about $9.3 trillion, with more than $1 trillion reportedly locked in Africa.
Nubi also questioned claims that a large proportion of properties in Lagos lacked proper titles, linking the problem to the continued development of estates without the necessary government approvals.

He urged the state government to examine why people invest substantial sums in land and properties only to commence construction without obtaining planning approval.

While commending the transition to digital processing, Nubi called for the new system to be genuinely seamless and free from unnecessary bureaucracy.
He said an efficient approval process would not only improve compliance but also encourage investment and help unlock greater economic value from Lagos’ rapidly expanding real estate market.