NITP Demands Updated Town Planning Law For Cross River

Akiba made the call while answering questions on the just – concluded world town planning day during a telephone conversation in Calabar.

Speaking on the the theme:  “Great Communities Are Built on Planning: Together We Deliver, Together We Thrive, Together We Sustain,” Akiba stated that the future of communities cannot be left to chance. “It must be consciously planned, collectively pursued and effectively managed,” he said.

He averred that the State is facing increasing development pressures, changing land-use patterns, infrastructure deficits, environmental challenges and growing demands for housing.

 He listed the expansion of informal settlements and unregulated developments, particularly in and around Calabar, Ikom and Ogoja, as well as recurring windstorms, landslides, gully erosion and flooding, as reasons for urgent coordinated planning interventions.

He said that the new law must integrate into the National Urban and Regional Planning Frameworks, respond to contemporary development realities, and be supported by comprehensive urban development policies and functional planning instruments.

“Planning must move beyond preparation to effective implementation. This requires strong institutions, competent personnel, functional administrative structures, political commitment and sustained investment in planning infrastructure,” he said.

The town planning chair, called for implementation and periodic review of existing master plans, alongside robust development control strategies that promote orderly growth, protect public spaces, safeguard environmentally sensitive areas and ensure compliance with approved planning standards.

He lauded the Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu, for his administration’s ongoing infrastructural revolution under his People First mantra, but stressed that the full benefits of projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the proposed deep seaport and intra-city transportation infrastructure will depend on sound planning. “Great communities do not happen by accident; they are products of deliberate planning, collective commitment and effective implementation,” he said.