A Professor of Urban Geography and Environmental Management, Magnus Ojeifo, has called for the conceptualisation and development of a master plan to produce better and functional small-sized towns in Nigeria.
Ojeifo, a lecturer in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo, made the call on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at the university’s 107th Inaugural Lecture.
The lecture is entitled: “Reinventing Urban Landuse Sustainability: Implications for Planning Small-Sized Towns in Nigeria”.
According to Ojeifo, major cities in Nigeria are becoming too congested with attendant challenges, which do not allow for healthy living.
“The problems of urbanisation, which towns and cities in Nigeria are already contending with, are the unprecedented pressure on land, haphazard and inadequate housing, waste management problems, unemployment, and poor water and energy supply.
“The consequences have been the emergence of slums, traffic problems, insecurity, incidences of disease outbreaks, pollution, flood and urban blight.
“Most cities and towns are not planned, and the administration of land use is poor, hence, physical development is amorphous,” he said.
To further prevent the haphazard use of land in small towns, the don said the study advocated comprehensive physical plan initiatives to address existing problems.
The study, he said, also promoted urban functionality by establishing an aesthetically pleasing and conducive environment for living.
Earlier, the institution’s acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sonnie Adagbonyin, identified the need to develop new small-sized towns, considering the pressure on the major cities and its attendant environmental challenges.
According to him, developing small-sized towns cannot be overemphasised as we strive to live healthily, safely, conveniently, and efficiently in our different environments.
Meanwhile, he urged the staff and students to sustain the current peace and tranquillity being the bedrock of the various achievements recorded in the institution.
“The management reaffirms its undiluted commitment to an uninterrupted academic calendar and will continue to play its part of promptly paying salaries of deserving staff as well as pensions to our respected pensioners,” Adagbonyin said.
The high point of the event was the formal decoration and admittance of Ojeifo to the class of full professors.
By George Edomwonyi
