Planning Regulations and Implementation Mechanisms in Postcolonial Lagos

This paper examines the influence of governance in postcolonial Nigeria in the shaping of urban development. It investigates how rapid population and urban growth had severely affected planning development and management in Lagos state. The paper reinforces the argument that weak implementation of planning regulations and the lack of political determination have resulted in the poor implementation of planning standards and laws regulating urban improvement. Planning regulations were partially or not enforced to standard. Examples of areas where there is much neglect are controlled in the building of residential estate, industrial layout, waste management, public health and unchecked building of petrol station within and around the city. Conflicts between town planners and political realities of postcolonial governance are considered, particularly the opposition of the political elites and the urban poor within the city. Above all, the paper traces the historical origins of planning regulations, the primary forces contributing to their intensification in recent years, and the various mechanisms for the implementation of the laws and the attendant challenges experienced over the years since independence.