Lagos State residents living in government-owned housing estates must obtain approval from the Ministry of Housing before installing solar panels or carrying out any external alterations on their flats, the state government has restated.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Engr. Abdulhafis Toriola, made this clarification following a social media post by a resident who questioned the authority of the Ministry’s Monitoring and Compliance Team to demand approval for solar panel installation during a routine operation at the Lagos State Millennium Housing Estate, Ibeshe.
Toriola said the requirement was not new, noting that it is contained in the Letter of Allocation and Allottees Guide issued to all beneficiaries at the point of purchase.
“An allottee must obtain approval from the Ministry for any intended alteration to the flat allocated and the building, and this includes installation of solar panels,” he said.
He said the policy was introduced to protect shared assets — including rooftops, walls, and water installation facilities — and to prevent fire incidents linked to unprofessionally installed solar systems.
According to him, the Ministry had been forced to intervene in cases of leaking rooftops and fire outbreaks caused by solar installations carried out without oversight.
Toriola noted that Lagos State government estates are social housing schemes built around shared infrastructure, with individual blocks accommodating between two and thirty-two families.
The Ministry’s guidelines, he said, prescribe installation standards covering cable quality, panel configuration, and the technical competence of installation personnel.
Beyond fire safety, he said the guidelines also ensure that roof space is equitably distributed among flat owners to prevent disputes when multiple residents in a block seek to mount panels on the same roof, and that the entire building is covered by insurance against damages.
The Ministry urged all allottees to contact it whenever they are in doubt about permissible alterations, and said it conducts monthly public enlightenment exercises across government estates.
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