Lagos State Government has restated that all allottees of its housing estates must seek and obtain approval from the Ministry of Housing before embarking on any external alterations or installation of solar panels on allocated buildings and flats.

Permanent Secretary in the ministry, 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.

“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 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, adding that it also aims to prevent fire incidents linked to unprofessionally installed solar systems.

According to him, 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 said that the 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.

“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, were 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.