The Lagos State Government generated about N80bn in 2025 through building approval applications,

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, disclosed this on Friday in Lagos during the 2026 Ministerial Briefing in commemoration of the seventh year of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration as Lagos State Governor.

Speaking on the charges for obtaining building approval, Olumide explained that the rate is determined by the size of the development and the particular location.

“For example, somebody developing in Ikorodu may not pay the same thing as somebody developing in Ikoyi. So that is a good example,” he said.

He added that all payments are made through the bank, and the applicant will only present a receipt of payment to the ministry, where the approval will be issued.

“It is after getting that receipt that you come to us and show the receipt. So a copy of the receipt goes into your file here, and we process it. We don’t charge money; we don’t make it available.

“What we know is that at the end of the year, our total revenue will be estimated for revenue and taxation. It will display our performance. So far, we are gaining from our exercise in terms of planning and processing. Last year, I think we got about N80bn or so,” he said.

Olumide pointed out that discrepancies in tax payments can delay the processing of building approvals.

“Now, you have somebody who pays N200,000 as annual tax, and you bring in land, and you want to develop a N3bn building, something is not okay. You have not disclosed the right tax. So such an application would not work because your tax status is in doubt,” he added.

The commissioner warned against building under power lines and gas lines, adding that building outside what was approved attracts immediate demolition.

“Now, the condition that can warrant immediate demolition in Lagos: if you build on the gas line, we will remove it immediately. If you build on that power line, we will remove it immediately.

“If you build excessively and aggressively out of order, not in line with the approval granted, you can also be demolished. Those are areas that can warrant immediate demolition. I don’t want to go into the control part,” Olumide added.

According to him, a distressed building could also attract immediate demolition. “If you have a distressed building, that’s another one that can warrant immediate demolition. If your building is assessed or adjudged as no longer suitable, it can be brought down immediately.

“So if we say a building is not suitable, take it like that. And when we say buildings are not suitable, it doesn’t mean that the demolition is done. What it simply means is, take attention,” Olumide disclosed.

Olumide reiterated that when a building is marked as distressed, “they are just calling your attention that you need to do something.”

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency has attributed the delay in the payment of outstanding retirees’ entitlements to longstanding bureaucratic, policy, and pension-related challenges inherited from previous administrations.

The aviation agency insisted that the current management under its Managing Director, Farouk Umar, has taken concrete steps to resolve the issue. The agency said this while responding to allegations of laxity by the management of the organisation on workers-related issues.

NAMA spoke through a statement signed by the spokesperson for the agency, Abdullahi Musa, on Friday.

In his response to the allegations raised during a recent television interview by some aggrieved retirees, the agency said while it recognises the right of former employees to seek redress on welfare concerns, it was necessary to place the facts in proper perspective.

Musa maintained that the problem of unpaid retirees’ benefits did not originate under the present leadership. He said, “The issue of outstanding retirees’ benefits is a longstanding institutional challenge inherited from previous administrations due largely to policy implementation gaps, pension-related complications, and bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with public sector financial obligations.”

The agency stressed that, contrary to claims of neglect, the administration of Farouk had demonstrated commitment towards addressing the backlog.

The statement read partly, “Significantly, it was under Engr. Farouk’s administration, which renewed administrative attention, institutional commitment, and official approvals, secured towards addressing the outstanding obligations.

“Following engagements with relevant stakeholders and retirees’ representatives, the Managing Director immediately directed the appropriate departments to commence the necessary processes required for settlement.”

NAMA, however, explained that the disbursement process is governed by strict public service regulations that cannot be circumvented.

“Responsible governance within the public sector requires strict compliance with statutory procedures involving documentation, budgetary appropriations, administrative vetting, and government approvals before final disbursement can be effected.

“Any attempt to deliberately ignore these procedural realities and portray them as neglect is both unfair and misleading,” the agency stated.

Beyond the retirees’ issue, the agency stated that several welfare reforms have been implemented under the current administration, noting that workers have witnessed significant improvements in their conditions of service.

He said, “Under Farouk’s leadership, NAMA successfully implemented the Staff Conditions of Service in full, an achievement that eluded several previous administrations despite years of agitation by workers.”

The agency further disclosed that a new salary structure was recently approved and implemented, leading to improved remuneration for employees.

“This landmark salary enhancement demonstrates the administration’s unwavering commitment to improving the living conditions of employees and repositioning NAMA as a more motivated, efficient, and professionally competitive institution within the aviation industry,” the statement noted.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery is planning to expand its crude processing flexibility to as many as 130 different crude grades.

The refinery, which recently reached its full capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, is also preparing for a major capacity expansion that will double output and significantly widen its crude sourcing options beyond Nigeria’s domestic supply base.

The Chief Executive Officer of the refinery, David Bird, disclosed this in an interview with S&P Global Energy, describing the facility as a fully merchant-style refinery built to compete with global trading hubs rather than a conventional single-feed crude processing plant.

“This is not a traditional refinery in an oil-producing country that just sits at the end of a crude pipeline and processes one crude. This is a fully merchant refining model that you could see in Europe or Asia,” Bird was quoted as saying in the interview, obtained by our correspondent on Friday.

Bird told S&P Global that the refinery currently processes around 40 crude grades but is strategically positioned to expand that number significantly as it scales operations, with a long-term target of about 130 crude types comparable to some of the world’s most complex refining hubs, such as Singapore’s Pulau Bukom refinery.

According to him, the expansion will allow the refinery to move deeper into crude blending operations and take advantage of a wider range of global supply sources, including Middle Eastern, US, and heavier crude grades.

“We will be in the crude blending game. So you can easily imagine at 1.4 million bpd, we could process 30 per cent Middle Eastern grades on each train,” he said.

Bird also highlighted the refinery’s cost structure, noting that operating expenses are expected to decline further as scale efficiencies kick in following the expansion.

According to the report, industry projections tied to the $10bn expansion programme indicate that operating costs could fall below $2 per barrel, strengthening the refinery’s position as one of the world’s lowest-cost large-scale refineries.

The planned expansion, it was said, will raise capacity to about 1.4 million b/d, equivalent to nearly 90 per cent of Nigeria’s current crude oil output, forcing the facility to rely more heavily on imported crude streams, including US WTI Midland, alongside domestic supply.

Bird said the refinery’s flexibility is central to its long-term competitiveness in an increasingly volatile global energy market.

The Dangote refinery, located in the Lekki Free Zone in Lagos, is also integrating petrochemical units and logistics infrastructure as part of a wider industrial expansion aimed at turning the complex into a global energy hub comparable to major refining centres in Asia and the Middle East.

As part of its expansion strategy, the company is also developing regional infrastructure, including tank farms and potential pipeline linkages across Africa, to improve fuel distribution and export efficiency.

The refinery’s management has maintained that its long-term goal is to position Nigeria as a net exporter of refined petroleum products while competing directly with established global refining and trading hubs.

After the Middle East war began, Dangote shifted to what was termed “max jet mode”, and in April, it became the world’s single largest exporter of aviation fuel, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea data.

The refinery is also producing 200 per cent of its petrol potential by importing blending components like GTL naphtha and Bonny condensate, Bird said.

As such, it can “comfortably” make 75 million litres per day (about 650,000 b/d) and could do 100 million l/d with better storage infrastructure, he added.