By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Lagos State Residents Registration Agency, LASRRA, has warned its registration agents against demanding payment from residents, stressing that the registration exercise is completely free.
The General Manager of LASRRA, Bilikis Adebiyi-Abiola, gave the warning on Thursday, 27 August, 2026 during a community sensitisation programme in Ajah, Lagos, urging residents to report any agent who attempts to collect money for the service.
Adebiyi-Abiola said the agency maintained a zero-tolerance policy towards agents who charged residents, reiterating that the registration was a free service provided by the Lagos State Government.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy for any agent who is collecting money because LASRRA is absolutely free. If you notice, in every single one of our stations, we have a sign that says, ‘LASRRA is free.’”
The LASRRA boss urged residents who were asked to pay for registration to report the affected agents to the agency for appropriate action, stressing that there was no justification for such charges.
“There is no reason whatsoever for anybody to collect money from anyone because the government has made this a free service and it’s free,” she said.
She explained that the agency had intensified community-based registration to bring the exercise closer to residents, with officials visiting communities, schools and vaccination clinics rather than relying solely on residents to visit its offices.
According to her, LASRRA registration begins from birth, while the agency had upgraded its software and devices to enable officials to register newborn babies without physically handling them.
Adebiyi-Abiola disclosed that about seven million residents were currently captured in the agency’s database, adding that LASRRA was implementing several initiatives to increase the figure.
She said the agency had begun working with the Office of Education Quality Assurance to extend registration to private schools, while LASRRA registration was already required for pupils in public schools.
The general manager added that markets, offices and other communities were also being targeted, noting that lack of awareness and the busy lifestyles of Lagos residents had contributed to the low level of registration.
She stressed that registration was important because residents required LASRRA identification to access various Lagos State Government services and programmes.
Adebiyi-Abiola further disclosed that LASRRA had secured 50 slots at the ongoing Lagos State Trade Fair for registered residents as part of efforts to demonstrate the benefits of being captured in the state’s residents’ database.
Speaking during the programme, the monarch of Okun Ajah Kingdom, Oba Kolawole Olumegbon, commended LASRRA for taking its sensitisation campaign to the community, saying the registration had helped the government better understand the needs of residents.
Olumegbon attributed improvements in infrastructure in the area partly to the availability of residents’ data, which he said enabled the government to determine the needs of communities and plan accordingly.
“There is a tremendous improvement, especially when it comes to infrastructural development that has happened in this axis. All thanks to the number of people who have registered through LASRRA, and it helps the government to determine and know what they need for the people,” he said.
The monarch stressed that the essence of the registration was to enable the government to understand residents’ welfare needs and plan appropriate interventions.
“The essence of this registration through LASRRA is for the government to know our welfare and how to take care of us. So, that’s why it’s very important to register with LASRRA,” he said.
Olumegbon urged residents who had yet to register to do so, while encouraging those already captured in the database to educate others on the benefits of the exercise.
“I enjoin everyone to go fast and register with LASRRA. Even as you can see, some of us are not even aware that a day-old baby can be registered.
“If you have registered, you need to tell people who have not registered that there is immense benefit in registering with LASRRA,” he said.
