Lagos Government Plans New Towns to Ease City Congestion

    

  The Lagos State Government is exploring the

creation of new towns as part of efforts to address

 severe congestion caused by rapid population

 growth, scarce land resources, and overstretched 

infrastructure.

Speaking at a recent public forum in Lagos, the

 Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban

 Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, said the

 state’s population growth has far exceeded

 traditional urban planning approaches, placing

 enormous strain on housing, transport systems,

 and public amenities.

Olumide noted that Lagos, home to an estimated

 25 million residents but occupying only about 0.4

 per cent of Nigeria’s total land area, is

 experiencing congestion levels that require

 innovative and intentional planning solutions.

He explained that continuous migration from 

within Nigeria and beyond has further intensified

 pressure on existing physical and social

 infrastructure across the state.

      According to the commissioner, excessive

 population concentration in already-developed

 areas has encouraged the spread of unplanned

 settlements and uncontrolled urban expansion,

 increasing environmental hazards and

 threatening the city’s long-term sustainability. He

 said developing new towns would provide a

 systematic approach to distributing population

 growth while opening up underdeveloped areas

 in an organised manner.

“Building new towns enables us to guide growth

 deliberately instead of responding to congestion

 when it has already reached a critical level,”

 Olumide stated.

    He added that the government is currently

 reviewing development control frameworks,

 expanding planning schemes, and deepening

 partnerships with private sector developers to

 ensure that new communities adhere strictly to

 approved layouts and standards.

The initiative, he said, is aimed at preventing the

 chaotic development patterns that have

 historically resulted in slums and inadequate

 infrastructure.

Environmental protection, Olumide stressed,

 remains a key focus of the plan. He referenced

 alterations to natural drainage systems in parts of

 Lagos Island and other areas, which have

 increased the risk of flooding.

      He said the proposed towns will incorporate

 modern drainage systems, climate-resilient

 infrastructure, and protected environmental

 corridors to minimise flood risks and enhance

 long-term resilience.