Nigeria: Lagos Parking Body Tackled Over Outrageous Setback Fees

12 September 2022

A socio-political activist and critic, Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, yesterday, faulted the Lagos State Government for allegedly enacting a law authorizing Lagos Parking Authority to demand 'outrageous' permit fees for setbacks (off street) parking.

He urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to ask the State House of Assembly to revoke or review the law immediately in the overall interest of the state's citizenry.

Onitiri, in a statement, said the parking permits fee was not in tandem with the economic realities in the country.

The Lagos Parking Authority in letters to landlords and organisations had demanded from them N80,000 for one slot, N240,000 for three slots plus N50,000 non-refundable administrative/processing fees for setbacks (offstreet) parking from landlords and business organsations.

Onitiri said paying such outrageous fees would further impoverish the people the government claimed to be catering for, particularly the property owners, who were already paying annual tenement and land rates to Lagos State Government.

He said: "The introduction of setback/ off street parking by the state government now was a height of insensitivity to the yearnings and sufferings of the people because it would skyrocket both house rents and office accommodations.

The social critic wants to know if the parking fees were replacing the tenement rates.

He said the parking fee was unfair because many house owners were living in their homes without renting them out, asking "Shouldn't they park their vehicles in their homes?"

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.