March 26, 2024

Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Planning and Environmental Monitoring Authority (LASPEMA), has embarked on drone mapping of Informal Urban Spaces (IUS) in the State with the aim of sanitising the critical landed areas.

The exercise is expected to tackle misuse of Informal Urban Spaces, which are lands emerging from the execution and delivery of public infrastructure in the State such as the Abule-Egba Jubilee Bridge, and the Blue and Red rail lines projects among others.

This initiative underscores the Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration’s T.H.E.M.E.S Plus Agenda and commitment to proactive and inclusive Urban Management, and Sustainable Development practices that are in tandem with Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, in line with the SDG Goal 11, which is about making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

LASPEMA, an agency under the supervision of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development – Office of Physical Planning, has the mandate to coordinate the sustainable use of all informal urban spaces, most of which emerged as a result of the execution and delivery of infrastructure projects by the government.

Speaking to the media on the mapping exercise, the General Manager, Lagos State Planning and Environmental Monitoring Authority (LASPEMA), Tpl. Daisi Oso said: “The State has, over the years, witnessed the unguided use of these spaces and contended with their unauthorised governance by non-state actors whose activities hinder the growth of Informal Business and impinge on the effectiveness of physical development plans”.

Tpl Oso stated that the problem, if not addressed and tackled headlong, will result in a serious crisis that will adversely affect the State’s critical infrastructure and by extension, the economy of the Centre of Excellence as the Informal Economy is quite huge, dynamic and must be subjected to proper regulation, coordination and monitoring to breed orderliness, aesthetics and sustainability of the Urban face of Lagos.

One of the Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas, where the LASPEMA team carried out the mapping exercise was Agbado-Oke Odo LCDA, where the Chairman, Hon. David Famuyiwa, who was eager to receive the team, expressed confidence in LASPEMA’s effort as a sign of the deep commitment of Lagos State Government to addressing challenges facing the Abule Egba Jubilee Bridge area.

The Drone Mapping exercise, spearheaded by the GM of LASPEMA, was with the collaboration of both the Office of Physical Planning, under the leadership of the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, and the Office of Urban Development, under the headship of the Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Babatunde.

LASPEMA has been able to seize the opportunity to leverage and harness the power of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to create detailed and accurate maps of emerging lands in urban spaces of the State to deploy sustainable planning strategies that will enhance inclusivity.

The Drone Mapping Initiative underscores the Agency’s commitment to embracing innovation and technology as catalysts for positive change.