By Desire Emmanuel
The Lagos State government, through the Ministry of Housing, has said that all owners of buildings at the state-owned housing estates must obtain approval before embarking on any external alterations or installation of solar panels on allocated buildings and flats.
Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Abdulhafis Toriola, gave this clarification in response to a recent social media post by a resident who raised concerns over the ministry’s Monitoring and Compliance Team’s demand for solar panel installation approval during a routine operation at the Lagos State Millennium Housing Estate, Ibeshe.
The permanent secretary said: “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 explained that the requirement, which is contained in the Letter of Allocation and Allottees Guide issued to all beneficiaries at the point of purchase, is necessary to safeguard shared assets such as rooftops, walls and water installation facilities. It also aims to prevent fire incidents linked to unprofessionally installed solar systems.
According to the permanent secretary, the ministry was compelled to develop specific guidelines after solar panel installations began to create more problems than benefits for both users and non-users within government estates.
“In recent times, the ministry had to intervene in fixing leaking rooftops and incessant fire outbreaks caused by solar panel installation by some residents,” he said.
Toriola noted that government estates are social housing interventions designed with connected shared assets and facilities for residents, with blocks of flats housing between two and thirty-two families.
“In order to minimise risk that will affect the entire building structure, the ministry made regulations to stipulate guidelines for installation, the quality of materials such as cables and panel configuration, and the technical know-how of the installation personnel,” he added.
The guidelines, he said, are designed to protect other flat owners, insulate the entire building with insurance against damages, and apportion appropriate roof space to all flat owners to prevent disputes when multiple occupants in a block seek to install solar panels on the same roof.
