I am pleased to welcome you all to yet another edition of Annual General Meeting of our prestigious Association. I would like to use this opportunity to appreciate heads of member firms for your constant support towards the growth of this association. My deep appreciation goes to the National President of our great Institute, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), TPL. Olutoyin Ayinde FNITP, the President of Town Planners Registration Council (TOPREC) TPL. Isyaku Muhtar Kura FNITP. Honourable Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development Tpl Dr Idris Okanla Salako for your unflinching supports that is enhancing the awareness and growth of the association. Indeed, the sacrifices of our Past Presidents and council members are sincerely acknowledged.
I say a big thank you to our guest speaker for today, Est. Surv. Frank Okosun, FNIESV, MRICS, the Senior Partner/CEO Knight Frank, the leading global buith environment partnership firm for accepting our invitation to lead our discussions in today’s event,
Just like yesterday, on 12th of September 2019, this administration was saddled with the responsibility to lead this great Association. Though it wasn’t an easy ride, we had stormy and windy moments of economic downtown, the global pandemic occasioned by COVID 19 etc, Notwithstanding, we appreciate God for His mercies. Needles I say this is an election year and I use this opportunity to say a big thank you to the current National Executive Committee, ATOPCON Board of Trustees and the State Branch Chairmen for their support in the past two years. As you are all aware, my standing here today is due to the demise of our Immediate Past President Tpl Adeniyi Odetoye FNITP. His death was indeed a rude shock to us all but we thank God for the life he lived and opportunity we all had to known and worked with him. I pray the almighty God continue to comfort the family he left behind. All of us too. Such sad occurrence shall be stopped amidst us in Jesus name.
The Annual General Meeting has always been an avenue to assessing the Association’s successes, strengths, and opportunities thus far; it also serves as an event that brings planning firms and town planning consultants in the country together to deliberate on current issues and find possible ways to moving the Association and our practice forward.
It would give me great pleasure if every Consultant and guests present here today listen attentively to our speaker and key into our theme “Sustainability of Partnership as a Business Model for Town Planning Firms in Nigeria”. As planning consultants, it is important to make our firms sustainable with or without us. It is imperative we build our firms to the point where our absence does not affect the quality, structure, improvement, and progress of the organization. Our speaker’s firm has managed partnership practice the world over. How have they been able to do it? What structures have they relied upon? How can we learn from their model to enhancing our own practice to the point that even after us our firm still stand.
On this note, I hope this Annual General Meeting will grab your attention on the importance of adopting and sustaining parnership model in our firms. Once again, on behalf of the Executive Council I welcome you all to the 2021 Annual General Meeting of the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON).
Thank you and God bless.
Tpl. Muyiwa Adelu, FNITP MBA
Acting President
