- Jeremy van Dyk
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Lagos State Rolls Out N80,000 Annual Parking Fee
Drivers in Lagos have just been hit with a hefty new bill—an Lagos parking fee of N80,000 per year for each parking slot they use. That’s not all: there’s also a non-refundable processing fee of N50,000 per slot, trimming wallets even further. This fresh policy comes from the Lagos State Government, and it’s managed by the Lagos State Parking Authority, known as LASPA. The idea is to tidy up the city’s parking mess, ease the ever-present chaos on Lagos roads, and improve citywide mobility for everyone.
The rollout started in phases, zeroing in first on busy zones like Ikeja, Lagos Island, and the fast-developing Lekki corridor. LASPA’s General Manager, Adebisi Adelabu, insists the point isn’t just about pushing paperwork—it’s about making Lagos a bit easier to move through. By clamping down on haphazard, informal parking, officials hope to curb the kind of congestion that turns a regular Lagos morning into a bumper-to-bumper headache.
Mixed Reactions as Enforcement Begins and Legal Issues Arise
The reaction online was as lively as a Lagos bus-stop. Taxi drivers, small business owners, and everyday car users quickly took to social media, calling the new charges excessive and raising all sorts of concerns. “Who is tracking public transport operators who park anywhere?” one user asked, pointing to danfos and commercial buses that still pull over wherever they want. The lack of visible enforcement for these frequent offenders has fueled criticism and frustration among private car owners, who feel targeted by the new fines while informal parking goes unchecked.
Interestingly, not everyone will pay the same fee. Local reports are swirling that the annual parking fee could vary according to the neighborhood, with some prime locations like Victoria Island and Lekki potentially costing up to N100,000 per parking space. All payments must be made into LASPA’s official accounts, housed with Globus Bank or Polaris Bank, a move designed to streamline collections and reduce shady dealings.
There’s also legal drama brewing. Lawyers and residents are already talking about whether Lagos State has the constitutional right to impose a parking levy on private landowners or businesses. Some legal hotshots say the levy might step on the toes of both federal and local authorities. Meanwhile, a few residents and business groups are considering challenging the new rules in court, arguing the government hasn’t tackled enforcement fairly or accounted for Lagos’ unique transport mess.
Behind the headlines, it’s clear this isn’t just about parking fees. It’s about who pays the price for order in Lagos—whether it’s going to be the regular folks just trying to park and go about their day, or whether the city will find ways to keep public transport chaos in check too. For now, anyone who owns a car in Lagos would be wise to pay close attention: the days of simply parking by the roadside may soon be over, and there’s a bill to prove it.
