The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has constituted a committee to study the provisions of the law, with the aim of setting up an urban and regional planning commission at the federal level, the President, Town Planners Registration Council, Prof. Lai Egunjobi, has said.
Egunjobi, who made this known at the 2017 Annual General Meeting of the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria in Lagos, said the minister’s interest in physical planning was a good development for the profession.
He said the committee would also review the law in relation to a court case between Lagos State and the Federal Government on physical planning some years ago.
Egunjobi noted that planning had been neglected for a long time because the government lacked the political will required to implement planning laws.
He stated, “In Nigeria, planning is relatively new compared to other built environment professions. Planning in the contemporary sense came into the country during the colonial era, but it wasn’t until 1966 that a group of professional planners formed an association and it was embraced in 1988 and TOPREC was recognised.
“But the first contemporary law, apart from the colonial planning law, was in 1992, which provides for the federal to have a planning commission; the state, a planning board; while the local governments are expected to have local planning authorities.
“But up till now, the Federal Government has not been able to set up a planning commission, meaning that states too are dragging their feet in setting up boards and same goes for local governments. Planning has not really been embraced and that is a major issue for a country with a growing population.”
Egunjobi added that based on this, many town planners were out of jobs across the country.
“The jobs are there because we don’t even have enough planners in the country, but most of our people are jobless. The will to employ these people is lacking,” he said.
Egunjobi also urged members of the association to strengthen their relationship with other bodies in the built environment, so as to give policymakers information that could help them in decision making.
The ATOPCON President, Mr. Laide Afolabi, said members of the association were working to improve the lot of the profession.
He said the association recently recorded a milestone with the establishment of its Enugu branch, among other achievements within the year.
A former Commissioner for Physical Planning in Lagos State, Mr. Toyin Ayinde, said the association’s incoming executive must demonstrate leadership with courage to boost the growth of planning in the country.
A former President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners and African Planning Association, Alhaji Waheed Kadiri, said planners should stay away from conflicts and focus on the timely discharge of their duties.
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Wemimo
Am Glad to read this information, it indicates that body isn’t ideal in lobbying the Federal Government to create sustainable opportunities for town planners to express their creativity and innovation to the development of the nation at large while it as well put food on the tables of competent planners. Town Planner has long been deserted from contributing immensely and expressing their professional view and create more employment to Town Planner. I as well urge this Nobel body not to relent in doing the needful that will ensure that town planning profession is viable and vital to the socio-economic development of Nigeria.