The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) has called on the Federal Government to implement policies that would promote good environmental standards as a way of improving healthy living in Nigeria.
Speaking in an event to commemorate World Town Planners Day in Abuja on Wednesday, the National President of NITP, Nathaniel M. Atebije said. “this special day, November 8, every year has been set aside to commemorate the important role of urban and regional planning in defining the shape, structure, components and size of our cities and communities with a view to creating organized, livable communities.
“It gained full recognition when in 1949 late Professor Carlos Maria della Paolera strongly advocated the need to encourage community planning by paying heed to environmental factors involved in growing human settlements.
“Some state governments have created special Ministries for Urban planning, but 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. Provide town planners the opportunity to deliver their full potential, and create liveable, resilient and sustainable cities.”
Atebije explained that the theme for this year, ‘Learn Globally, Apply Locally’ is most apt in view of the endemic challenges of non-application or misapplication of international best practices. It focuses on the value of learning from planning and its cultures globally, fostering innovative, sustainable, and equitable solutions to address local challenges.
“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 wholesomely conceived and implemented for the benefit of all members of the community.
“It does appear that inherent policies and solutions can be modified and remodeled, to address local planning problems.
“Nigeria moves in vicious circles, wasting budgets on contracts entered into without adequate preparations for effective execution. Human settlements are characterized by poor layout, inadequate infrastructure, urban sprawl, squatter colonies, slums, traffic congestion, poor waste management, flooding, loss of biodiversity, menace of epidemics, insecurity and a whole gamut of inconveniences which make the cities places of frustration rather than satisfaction”.
He further reiterated that benefits abound in the implementation of planning policies, some of which include but are not limited to the correction of errors of land uses in the past but also to propose better organization and utilization of land resources to ensure safety, economy, aesthetics and good health in the places of abode, work and recreation.
According to a statement signed by Dr. David Olawale, Atebije said the difference between Nigeria and other nations where services are delivered efficiently is the lack of governance.
“Where governance is obtained, structures and processes are designed to ensure accountability, transparency, responsiveness, rule of law, stability, equity and inclusiveness, empowerment, and broad-based participation.
“City affairs would be administered through the norms, values and rules; and public affairs are managed to ensure transparency and inclusiveness. Through good governance, systems are set, under which management and administrative apparatus will operate.
“As we commemorate World Town Planning Day today, it is important to emphasise again that planning is the principal instrument of survival and wellbeing.
“We either plan or perish. Lack of planning is the root cause of doom and blight. We also reiterate that the legal and institutional frameworks we have in Nigeria are insufficient and inadequate to deliver the livable cities we desire. They cannot enable us to achieve the global sustainable development goals.
“We need to go the way of the rest of the world to make it a better place to live than we met it. We, therefore, call on the government to improve on the legal instruments, create required structures, initiate appropriate planning actions, engage the right professionals, remunerate workers adequately, train and retrain staff in establishments, equip planning agencies both for planning and control, partnership of the public with the private sector practitioners, provide sufficient funding and political will.
“This is the only way we can turn the table round to enjoy the benefits of global learning in town planning in Nigeria,” he noted.
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