Court gives Lagos LGs power to collect revenue on private car parks

Local Governments in Lagos State has been given the go-ahead to generate revenue from private car parks and car lots within the State. This power was conferred on them by the Lagos division of Appeal Court.

More so, on Wednesday, the Appellate Court in a judgment dismissed an appeal filled by a telecommunication firm, Airtel Network Limited against the judgment of Justice Y. O. Idowu of the Lagos High Court and affirmed that private parking lots are revenue sources for Local Governments in Lagos State.

The Appellate Court, in the appeal numbered CA/L/311/2013, specifically sustained the arguments of the Attorney General of Lagos State, Mr Adeniji Kazeem against Airtel’s appeal and held that the judgment of the Lagos High Court which had earlier dismissed the appellant’s (Airtel’s) Originating Summons of 2nd February, 2011, was in order.

Regarding the matter, the appellant (Airtel) operated a private parking lot within the jurisdiction of the 3rd Respondent (Eti-Osa Local Government) and contested that the latter was restricted in collection of levies to public motor parks.

In its brief of argument, the appellant had distilled two issues for determination and these were whether by virtue of Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Fourth Schedule thereof, the functions of the Local Government which includes establishment, maintenance and regulation of motor parks envisaged or relates to private car parks/car lots.

Furthermore, Airtel had sought the court’s determination on whether the 3rd Respondent (Eti-Osa Local Government) has power to enact its Parking and Control of Traffic Bye-Laws as a basis to impose a parking permit fee on the appellant.

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