Ogun Offers 50% Amnesty on Building Permits, Orders Clearance of Highway Setbacks
ABEOKUTA – The Ogun State Government has announced a three-month amnesty programme, offering a 50% reduction in penal fees for property owners who built without the required planning permits.
The initiative, which runs from November 1, 2025, to January 31, 2026, is aimed at encouraging compliance with physical planning laws and easing the financial burden on residents and investors.
The Honourable Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tpl. Olatunji Odunlami, disclosed this during a press conference in Abeokuta on Friday, November 28, 2025. He stated that the amnesty was approved by Governor Dapo Abiodun in recognition of current economic realities and his administration’s commitment to a people-centered approach.
“The government recognizes the economic realities faced by citizens, especially as the year winds to a close,” Odunlami said. “This initiative is yet another demonstration of the people-centered leadership of His Excellency, the Governor who has been unrelenting in prioritizing policies that support economic growth.”
The Commissioner urged all individuals, corporate bodies, real estate developers, and industrial operators with unpermitted buildings—whether residential, commercial, or industrial—to use the window to regularise their documents.
Crackdown on Highway Encroachments
In a related development, the government has issued a stern directive for property owners along major highways to immediately clear all illegal structures and encroachments on road setbacks.
The Commissioner identified prohibited activities on these setbacks to include shanties, makeshift structures, unauthorized signages, container shops, markets, and vehicle dealerships. He stated that these encroachments pose serious safety hazards, cause flooding, and degrade the environment.
“The government will no longer tolerate the use of setbacks except for activities that have to do with infrastructure, transportation and traffic control,” he warned.
The affected highways include:
· Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
· Abeokuta-Sagamu Highway (Muhammadu Buhari Expressway)
· Sagamu-Benin Expressway
· Lagos-Abeokuta Highway
· Papalanto-Sagamu Interchange Road
· Ijebu-Ode-Epe Highway
· Ogijo-Sagamu Highway
Free Permits for Beautification
In a bid to enhance the state’s aesthetics, the government has authorized property owners facing these highways to temporarily take over the cleared setback spaces for beautification and landscaping.
The Ministry is offering a free planning permit for property owners who submit a greenery or landscaping plan for these areas.
“This is an initiative to encourage compliance and promote community and corporate partnership in keeping Ogun State green,” Odunlami explained.
The Commissioner warned that failure to comply with the clearance order would attract sanctions, including the withdrawal of planning permits and payment of abatement charges, adding that enforcement will begin “in earnest and without further notice.”
Property owners can regularise their documents or apply for the free beautification permits at the Ministry’s headquarters in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, or any of its 32 zonal planning offices across the state.
