Lagos moves enforcement of controversial parking levy to 2023

Lagos State Government has postponed the enforcement of its controversial parking policy; payment of the levy to 2023.

Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA) said the enforcement of the parking regulations will take place in the second quarter of 2023.

LASPA general manager Adebisi Adelabu while addressing journalists on Wednesday refuted claims that the authority was set up solely for the purpose of revenue generation.

Adelabu explained that the parking authority’s mandate was to entrench a parking culture in the state.

She said the Lagos State governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had signed a law to create a well-designed and coordinated parking management system for the Lagos of the future in view of the growing population of the state.

Amid opposition to the parking policy, Lagos State said, it was designed to decongest traffic, address climate change challenges and create job opportunities.

Lagos State government said it had a mutual agreement with the local governments for the former to collect parking fees in the state.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, questioned the constitutionality of parking fees after it was introduced by LASPA in August.

READ ALSO: Parking levy constitutional, LASG replies Falana

“I believe that once the state passes a legislation assigning the functions of valuation of tenement rates to the local government as the Constitution has directed, only the local government council will have the power to deal with that subject,” Falana said.

“The state has no power to deal with the matter and the local government council cannot, even if it wants to, divest itself of those powers.”

Adelabu said LASPA and its operations are backed by law to assist Lagos residents to be mindful of parking their vehicles appropriately, as this would impact positively on the environment and the roads.

“The Lagos State Parking Authority is an Agency of Government created by law, under the leadership of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, with the core mandate to regulate and manage all forms of Parking, register existing private, and public parks and holistically tackle the menace of parking,” Adelabu said.

“There was need for our establishment to regulate parking because, we have Vehicle Inspection Authority, and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, but parking is essential to tackle traffic congestion.

“If one really wants to address traffic challenges, we need to start from the parking problem and that is why LASPA was established.

“We are working with the Local Government to achieve their mandate in terms of parking.”