Viral video: Why Lagos-owned estates need approval for solar panels — Official

The Lagos State Ministry of Housing has restated that residents of government-owned housing estates must obtain official approval before installing solar panels or making any external alterations to their allocated units.

The clarification followed the viral spread of a video showing ministry officials confronting a resident at the Lagos State Millennium Housing Estate, Ibeshe, over an unapproved solar panel installation.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Abdulhafis Toriola, said the approval requirement was contained in the Letter of Allocation and Allottees Guide issued to all beneficiaries at the point of purchase.

“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,” the statement read.

Toriola explained that government estates are social housing schemes with connected shared infrastructure, including rooftops, walls and water facilities, housing between two and 32 families per block.

The Ministry has clarified that the policy does not affect private property owners across Lagos.

He said the guidelines were also designed to protect other flat owners, cover the entire building with insurance against damages and allocate appropriate roof space to each flat owner.

“This is to prevent disputes when multiple occupants in a block seek to install solar panels on the same roof,” he said.

Toriola said the policy was introduced after solar panel installations began causing structural and safety problems within state 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.

He noted that government estates were designed with connected shared assets and facilities.

“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 said.

The video, posted around April 21, 2026, showed officials from the Ministry’s Monitoring and Compliance Team questioning a resident about panels installed without a permit and demanding he regularise the installation.

The resident filmed the encounter, expressing frustration and questioning the basis of the requirement.

In the clip, he said: “They just showed up… saying because we installed solar that we must get permit and approval from them before we can use it. I’ve never heard of this in my life.”

The video drew widespread criticism on Instagram, Facebook and X, with many viewers mistakenly believing the policy applied to all Lagos residents, not only those in state-owned estates.

The Ministry urged allottees to reach out whenever in doubt and comply with the established approval process “to ensure safety, structural integrity, and harmonious coexistence in all state-owned housing estates.”