The Lagos State Government has called for collaboration between the state’s Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA), Signage, Advertisement Agency (LASAA) and security agencies to sanitise the real estate sector.
Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka, Special Adviser to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Housing, made the call in a statement on Friday in Lagos.
Benson-Awoyinka said that such collaboration had become imperative to end fraudulent practices in the real estate sector.
She made the call during a courtesy call to the three agencies.
According to her, the visit and request for collaboration is to convince members of the public that LASRERA has the support of relevant stakeholders that will enable it achieve its vision and mandate.
She said that LASRERA’s collaboration with LASAA would assist in curbing the placement of unverified and misleading advertisements by real estate practitioners and property developers across the state.
”Especially since all advertisements in the state are approved by LASAA.
“It has become necessary to collaborate with the state Criminal Investigation Department to curb fraudulent practices by unauthorised persons and to sanitise the entire real estate industry.
“Due process of prosecution will be followed in dealing with a recalcitrant practitioner,” Benson-Awoyinka said.
The special adviser restated the commitment of Sanwo-Olu to protect the rights of all residents who were either seeking to rent, buy or sell property in the state.
”Real estate transaction is an important economic activity to the state as oil is to the country,” the special adviser said.
She noted that the collaboration would transform and reduce the rate of fraudulent practices once people were aware that they could be prosecuted by the law of the state.
The governor’s aide assured residents that all registered real estate practitioners/property developers with LASRERA were duty bond to operate with high sense of professionalism or risk being prosecuted.
In her response, Deputy Commissioner of Police, SCID, Mrs Yetunde Longe, stressed the need for separate court to handle fraudulent issues in the state because of the volume of workload on Magistrates’ Courts.
Longe said that people visited the SCID Yaba to complain about different issues including fraudulent activities which took long time to conclude investigation.
“With the collaboration and assigned court, it will be easy to prosecute any acts of fraudulent practice,” she said.
The deputy commissioner assured that the police would support the fight against fraudulent activities perpetrated through the real estate sectors in the country. (NAN)
