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, the national president of NITP, Nathaniel 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 organised, 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.”
He further said “though some state governments have created special ministries for Urban Planning, 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 livable, resilient and sustainable cities.”
Atebije also explained that the theme for this year‘s programme, “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 set-backs because of 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.
„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“.
