By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, has called on property and environment journalists to intensify public awareness on the newly launched Lagos State Building Insurance Scheme and the Electronic Physical Planning Permit System, EPPPS, as part of efforts to strengthen compliance in the built environment.
The General Manager of LASBCA, Gbaye Florence, made the call recently in Lagos when she received Executive Members of the Property and Environment Writers Association of Nigeria, PEWAN, on a courtesy visit to the agency’s headquarters in Ikeja.
The agency’s Director of Public Affairs, Adu Ademuyiwa, said in a statement that the visit was primarily to congratulate Gbaye on her appointment and to explore areas of collaboration between PEWAN and LASBCA ahead of the association’s 2026 annual conference, scheduled for October.
Welcoming the delegation, Gbaye commended PEWAN for its consistent and professional reportage of developments within Lagos State’s built environment sector, noting that the media’s role in promoting public awareness and supporting government policies could not be overemphasised.
She added that government could not achieve its objectives in the sector without the support and cooperation of relevant stakeholders.
Gbaye reaffirmed LASBCA’s commitment to ensuring that construction activities across the state conform strictly to approved building plans, standards, specifications and regulations, stressing the agency’s determination to promote a safer, more resilient and sustainable built environment for Lagosians.
On the insurance scheme, she explained that it encourages property owners and developers, including those with existing and ongoing projects, to obtain non-liability insurance policies, describing it as an initiative designed to provide an additional layer of protection and mitigate the financial burden of unforeseen contingencies involving buildings.
Turning to the state’s digital transformation agenda, Gbaye urged PEWAN members to deepen public enlightenment on the EPPPS, explaining that it allows property owners and developers to apply for building-related permits and approvals electronically, thereby reducing physical bottlenecks and improving efficiency in the approval process.
She reiterated the agency’s readiness to collaborate with PEWAN at its forthcoming conference, saying such partnerships would strengthen synergy among stakeholders in the built environment and deepen public understanding of LASBCA’s statutory responsibilities.
