By Damilola Aina
The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, NITP has urged the Federal Government to establish an urban and regional planning commission.
It also called on the government to create the Ministry of Urban and Regional Planning, to provide town planners the opportunity to deliver their full potential.
Speaking at an event to commemorate World Town Planners Day in Abuja recently, the NITP President, Nathaniel Atebije, emphasised the role of urban and regional planning in defining the shape, structure, components and size of cities and communities.
Atebije also implored the government to implement policies that would promote good environmental standards as a way of improving healthy living in the country.H
e said, “There is an urgent need for the Federal Government to establish the urban and regional planning commission, as well as the Ministry of Urban and Regional Planning to provide town planners the opportunity to deliver their full potential and create livable, resilient, sustainable cities.
“Physical planning in Nigeria has suffered a lot of setbacks because of the lack of application of experiences gained from other parts of the world, where development thoughts are wholly conceived and implemented for the benefit of all members of the community.
According to Atebije, Nigeria has been moving in vicious circles, wasting budgets on contracts entered into without adequate preparations for effective execution.
“Human settlements are characterised by poor layout, inadequate infrastructure, urban sprawl, squatter colonies, slums, traffic congestion, poor waste management, flooding, loss of biodiversity, the menace of epidemics, insecurity, and a whole gamut of inconveniences that make the cities places of frustration rather than satisfaction,” he noted.
He reiterated that benefits abound in the implementation of town planning policies, some of which included the correction of errors in land uses in the past.
He stated that town planning policies would also propose better organisation and utilisation of land resources to ensure safety, economy, aesthetics, and good health in the places of abode, work, and recreation.