The Federal Government has announced a sweeping move to protect Nigeria’s highways, coastal areas, shorelines, and the Lagos Lagoon corridor by revoking all previous development approvals in these sensitive zones.

The decision, ordered by President Bola Tinubu, is aimed at stopping unauthorised construction and safeguarding critical infrastructure and the environment. Surveyor General of the Federation, Adeyemi Adebomehin, revealed this during a press briefing, stating that all past approvals for developments in these areas are now invalid unless re-verified.

According to Adebomehin, state governments have been instructed to pause issuing new planning approvals in these corridors unless they are done in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Office of the Surveyor General.

“All development approvals granted on or before July 2, 2025, must be submitted to our office for verification and harmonisation,” he warned. “Any approvals issued after September 30, 2025, without federal collaboration, will be considered null and void.”

The government also ordered an immediate stop to all ongoing unauthorised reclamation projects, artificial island creation, and illegal sand-filling activities.

“This enforcement is necessary to protect key infrastructure, preserve the environment, and ensure coordinated urban growth. We will no longer tolerate unplanned developments that put lives and investments at risk,” Adebomehin added.

Going forward, no state or local authority is allowed to independently approve projects within these setback zones. Instead, a new framework is being established to oversee and properly regulate infrastructure developments along Nigeria’s highways and ecological zones.

This directive is firmly backed by Nigerian laws, including the Federal Highways Act and the Lands (Title Vesting, Etc.) Act, among others.

As the federal government intensifies efforts to protect the nation’s fragile corridors, developers and residents are urged to comply with the new guidelines to avoid sanctions and demolition.