The National President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners,
President, Town Planners Registration Council
Past Presidents, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners
Past Presidents, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria
Fellows of the Institute
Distinguished Colleagues
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH AS THE 8TH. PRESIDENT OF ATOPCON
Our election today 14th September 2017 is not intended primarily to honor a personality, nor a group of young professionals, but to symbolize a great moral code — the code of conduct and ethics of the profession we all love and practice. It is a testament to the vision and untiring aspiration of the founding fathers of the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON). Those who guarded and promote the practice arm of Town Planning profession.
That my colleagues and I are today saddled with the task of moving ATOPCON to greater heights arouses a sense of pride and yet of humility which will be with me always and I can’t but say how much I appreciate this worthy opportunity to serve.
Duty, Honour, profession in the words of Douglas Macarthur, (1962) are three hallowed words that will dictate what will ought to do, what will can do, what will shall do. That will be our rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn. We hope to build on the past efforts and giants’ strides of past leaders and our founding fathers as the custodians of the practice arm of the Town Planning profession.
This arduous task imposes the weightiest obligations, I am conscious that the position, which I have been called to fill, (The 8th. President of ATOPCON) though sufficient to satisfy the loftiest ambition, is surrounded by fearful responsibilities, but my colleagues and I assure, you we shall strive to change the face of private practice. Atopcon shall be a force to reckon with and we will tahttp://atopcon.org.ng/wp-admin/post.php?post=890&action=editke our rightful place in the built environment.
We will continue to maintain and improve on the existing relationships with TOPREC and also solidify and build on the goodwill of NITP. ATOPCON will not only be reactive, but proactive and will strive to open new vistas of opportunity for practice.
Finally, I shall look with confidence to the enlightened professional zeal of our colleagues in the public service and other agencies of Government to adopt such measures of conciliation to harmonize conflicting interests in as many states where planning practice is still at its lowest ebb.
Thank You
Idris O. Salako, fnitp, rtp
