Lagos Reduces Working Hours on Building Sites, Sends Warnings to Property Owners

• The Lagos state government has reduced the work hours for construction site workers in the state and sent a warning to building owners
• Buildings found to be in breach of the new directives will be sealed indefinitely, and the owners will face penalties
• The government is rolling out several measures to protect the social well-being of residents and improve the quality of housing in Lagos

Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.

The Lagos state government has limited working hours at buildings and construction sites to safeguard construction workers and residents.

Effective immediately, construction work is permitted only from 7 am to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, with Sundays declared work-free days.

Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, Lagos state commissioner for physical planning and urban development, emphasised strict enforcement of this directive on Thursday, May 15, 2025.

He warned that property developers who violate these rules by allowing work beyond 6 PM or on Sundays risk having their properties sealed indefinitely.

Olumide stated that the relevant agencies would fully enforce the working hours and warned all building project managers to comply.

The statement read;

“Henceforth, any property developer or owners who engage workers to carry out construction work on Sundays and beyond 6 pm on Monday to Saturday will have his or her property sealed indefinitely.”

Why is Lagos state restricting building hours?

The commissioner explained that the decision was driven by the need to protect the social well-being and wellness of the workers, protect the environment, and avoid compromise of quality that could lead to collapses.

He added that concessions could be granted outside these hours when a formal application is made, providing sufficient merits to work outside these hours, the PUNCH reports.

To ensure full compliance, the government also called on residents to support by reporting any building site near their area of residence where work is found to be ongoing outside the stipulated hours.

Lagos bans sleeping at construction sites

The Lagos state government earlier banned people, especially labourers and construction workers, from sleeping at the construction sites.

This followed the collapse of a two-storey building at Arowojobe Estate, in the Maryland area of Lagos State, in 2024, where five construction workers lost their lives.

The directive given by the General Manager of Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Gbolahan Oki, warned that the agency would be carrying out inspections of building sites at night to ensure that no one is sleeping in a building still under construction.

Recall that a building under construction collapsed at Ikota, Lekki, Lagos state in January 2025.

The initial rescue attempts confirmed two workers dead, and five others fatally injured.

Another accident at a building site led to the death of a 17-year-old construction worker from electrical shock.

Lagos suspends construction in Ikota-Lekki

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Lagos state government ordered a halt to illegal construction and building projects around the Lekki and Ikota axis.

This was part of efforts to protect Lagos’ waterfronts and prevent illegal encroachments and unauthorised land reclamations in the affected areas.

The Commissioner of the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development (MWID), Honourable Ekundayo Alebiosu, led a routine monitoring exercise along Ikota Creek, Eleganza, Lekki, during which he issued the contravention notices and stop-work order.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng