The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) has called on the Federal Government to prioritise urban planning to ensure sustainable and equitable development in Nigeria.
NITP President, Mr. Nathaniel Atebije, who made the call in an interview on Sunday, October 20, 2024, in Lagos, stated that urban planning is crucial particularly now that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project implementation is ongoing.
He said: “What should be done now that we know the alignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is for the government to create plans to manage the land, because immediately you put roads, if you do not create plans, the next thing is: people will begin to develop anyhow, and it becomes haphazard development.
“Such development can even become a security risk to the country, and even the economic benefits that would have been derived from that road will be lost.
“It is good that the government and states affected by this road should immediately create plans for the road and ensure that the corridor is taken very good care of.”
Atebije advised the government to have a dedicated ministry of physical planning for effective urban management.
According to him, this is because people often resist planning regulations due to the perception that they hinder development and freedom.
He said: “Even if people know the importance of planning, because they want to work without control, they rather do that than listen to what town planners have to offer.
“That is why the most critical ministry in government that will be created is ministry for physical planning.”
He urged the Federal Government to ensure that town planners would be appointed to positions related to urban planning for effective implementation of plans.
Atebije cited Lagos State as where the value of physical planning was recognised by government, saying that the state had implemented various urban development plans.
He advised the Federal Government to fully enforce laws governing physical planning.
The NITP president pledged the institute’s commitment to increased awareness among policymakers and the general public on the importance of urban planning.
A former Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, recently urged town planners to be more vocal and proactive in registering their visions and expertise in the Lagos Megacity master plan.
Fashola, who spoke at the Lagos Physical Planning Summit, said that town planners’ responsibilities extended beyond land use planning.
He said that town planners were often overlooked in spite of being key figures in envisioning and implementing a city’s master plan.
By Lydia Ngwakwe
