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Domestication of Urban and Regional Planning Law vital to liveable environment’

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2 years ago

‘Dr David Olawale, a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners and Managing Partner, Tade Planning Services, is the current Chairman, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON), Lagos chapter. In this interview with DAYO AYEYEMI, he speaks on the importance of physical development plans and their implementation to a sustainable environment.

HOW can you describe Nigeria’s cities in relating to physical planning?

When we talk about cities in Nigeria in relation to physical planning and urban development, we are not there yet. If you look at the whole nation and, by the time we run the evaluation of the level of development in relation to physical planning, you will see that we are not there yet. Of course, some states are trying but as a nation, we are still struggling. The aspect of physical planning is still lagging behind. Some state governors are still turning the physical planning upside down. Professionals who are supposed to be at the helm of affairs are not there.

By assessment, we are not there, but efforts are being made on a daily basis to ensure that we are going there. If you go to the states’ level, there are some states that are doing well, most especially Lagos State. You will see that the districts or regions in Lagos State have been covered by one physical development plan or the other, although in the area of implementation, we are still struggling to get it right. If you go to some states, even the so called Urban and Regional Planning Law has not been domesticated. If you are still having this, it means we are just working like a farmer going to the farm without the working tools. The planners are there, of course, the number is still very low compared to the population; but if they have enough instruments to work with, planners can do better than what we are experiencing today.

So, there is need for us to do more; there is need for government to do more; there is need for our political leaders to do more if we want to actually get there.

What is ATOPCON doing to ensure that all states domesticate the Urban and Regional Planning Law?

What we are having currently is one of the efforts of ATOPCON to make sure we get government involved in the implementation and domestication of Urban and Regional Planning Law. As an association, of course, we are in the private practice but our colleagues are there in government. Without this law, there is no way we can effectively implement what will call urban and regional planning. So, if you really want to practise urban and regional planning and you want to have a liveable and sustainable environment, there is the need for domestication of this law. If need be, there must be a review of the law. This is what our association is driving through. At the nation, ATOPCON is collaborating to make sure that we speak and engage the government on a daily basis. We always engage the government to ensure that urban and regional planning is given priority.

Overpopulation or overcrowding is a major issue confronting Lagos. What is your take?

The focus of urban and regional planners is to ensure the orderliness of the environment; to make sure we create a liveable and sustainable environment to enhance the living condition of people.

In a situation whereby this is happening, there is no way there won’t be overpopulation. That is where the profession of urban and regional planning needs to do more to create enabling environment to accommodate the population. Also because of the vibrant economy of Lagos, everybody wants to come to Lagos. The moment these people come, they don’t go back. As a result of this, there is no way you won’t have population in Lagos every day, every week and every year. We ran an assessment recently and the result showed that in Alimosho Local Government; about 330 people migrate to the location on a daily basis. So there is the need for us to create where these people will live and work. The sustainable environment they need should be the responsibility of town planners and we are working towards it. Our association is involved in creating liveable environment. We have many works to do and that is why we are trying to collaborate with government on a daily basis. In the area of preparation of Physical Development Plans, Lagos State government is trying. Plans are ongoing which we are working on. There are some plans prepared in the past, their review is ongoing. These are some of the efforts of the Lagos State government in making sure that we plan for the city. We are professionals in urban and regional planning that are leading the preparation of these plans. It is not that other professionals are not joining us in the preparation of these plans but as town planners, we are at the forefront of this assignment. These are some of the efforts we are putting together to make sure that Lagos State is liveable for everyone.

What efforts are being made by your association to ensure the implementation of these plans you mentioned?

There is this popular saying that there is politics in planning and there is planning in politics. As planners, if you don’t do it, if you just prepare plans without follow-up with the government, those plans will end on the shelves, and that will not be to anybody’s advantage. The joy of it is that you prepare these documents and you see the plans being implemented.

That is your joy! As an association, we are putting efforts in place to engage government to ensure that these plans are implemented. Of course, you know that development plans’ implementations are always in phases but we will make sure we follow this up.

Once development plans are expired, the association engages government to go into the review of the plans. Our job is to see those plans are implemented.

What are your solutions to building collapse menace in Lagos?

One of the problems leading to building collapse is the engagement of non-professionals in the built environment sector. The situation whereby somebody is doing the work that he is not trained to do, definitely, there will be crisis. What ATOPCON is doing to make sure we put an end to the building collapse by engaging government? We are collaborating with government to ensure that the right professionals are being engaged and ensure that when it comes to building industry, government or private developers engage those that are trained to do the work. This is the only way to go.

Are you aware that people also blame town planners for building collapse?

It is your level of understanding that will determine the interpretation to issues or matters. Some people’s understanding about the Ministry of Physical Planning is that it is only town planners that work in the ministry. We have other professionals working there. In this ministry, we have builders, engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, land surveyors and the rest. It is not the town planners that certify the stages of building development; this is done by the engineers. So, if you go to Building Control Agency, hardly will you find town planners there. But because that agency is under the ministry of physical planning and urban development, everybody believes it’s the duty of town planners. People that go to the site to mark buildings may not even be town planners.

There are engineers, there are architects and builders that supervise the building construction process, but everybody believes it’s the town planners and that is the level of understanding they have about the ministry. This is the reason our association is trying to sensitise people to let them understand how the processes work. Town planners don’t supervise building construction; they only give approval. Building does not collapse on papers.

How can low-income Nigerians have access to cheap houses?

Currently, most of the houses being produced are not affordable because the constriction materials are not affordable. There is need to go back to the drawing board and redefine affordable housing strategies. If you are using concrete, there is no way housing can be affordable. Most houses we are producing in the country right now are not affordable to low- income earners. There is need to rethink affordable housing. There is the need to go back to the use of local materials. That is how housing can be made affordable.

Secondly, there is the need for affordable mortgage facility, if government is serious about this. If you leave the production of low-income houses into the hand of private developers, we can’t get affordable housing. There is the need for the government to come into this business of making mortgage facility affordable and available for people to access housing with convenient period to pay back.

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