9th Mile master plan design: Planners attest to Enugu’s government withdrawal.
Following the failure of the authorities to kick-start the 9th Mile master plan project, plans by the Enugu State government to ensure orderly urban centers in terms of land use, economic growth, natural and cultural resources, public facilities, and transportation may have struck the rocks.
The 9th Mile Corner is one of the state’s fastest developing communities. In the early 1930s, it served as a transit camp for travelers traveling between the eastern and northern areas of the country. It later become a huge industrial community, home to companies like Nigerian Brewery Plc, AMA Brewery, Seven-Up Bottling Company Production Plant, Nigeria Bottling Company (NBC) Plant, and others.
The industrial activity in the area attracted haulage vehicles, private cars, and tricycles, which parked on both sides of the roadways, obstructing traffic flow. The Sullivan Chime administration awarded a contract to produce a master plan for 9th Mile and its environment in 2012.
The administration provided funding for the master plan and hired a consultant to help with the project.
“The job was handed to a non-town planning firm,” a source told Newsmen, “although a former commissioner in the state’s Ministry of Lands and Urban Development condemned the award and stressed the proper thing should be done.”
As a result, the contract was withdrawn and re-awarded to a business led by a town planner, the work continued, and a significant portion of it was completed.
“When a new administration assumed office, the project’s funding was halted. That’s how it’s been up until now. If you travel to the 9th Mile area now, you’ll notice that development is happening in a haphazard manner, save from those covered by the government’s recently authorized planning schemes.”
Professional urban planners have criticized successive governments in Enugu State for abandoning the contract in response to the development.
They said that if the plan had been approved, it would have ensured the area’s orderly development.
The experts recommended the state’s current administration to review the projectmaster plan in order to reap the benefits of the state’s physical development strategy.
Mr. Ogbonna Chime, a town planner, speaking to journalists stated that the 9th Mile region of Enugu is a development center, where growth is observed in all sectors, but development is not done in a controlled manner due to the lack of a master plan.
He highlighted that the state’s current leadership does not believe it is vital to continue with the project, and instead is focusing on urban renewal, which is becoming a problem in the state.
“However, many benefits were obtained as a result of the committee established on urban regeneration at the time.
The master plan is the soul of orderly urban growth; nevertheless, the government has paid no attention to it. Nobody is talking about the main plan since it has been abandoned.
“This is not good news for the 9th Mile, which is a rapidly growing part of the state.
“This lackadaisical attitude toward the master plan is not exclusive to Enugu state; it is common throughout the South East.” What governments are doing is putting in place planning schemes, which are not the same as a master plan.
“A master plan is comprehensive in nature; it addresses population, industrial growth, residential, commercial, and other land uses, as well as human activities.”
He stated that if the 9th Mile master plan had been followed, great advantages would have resulted.
“The land value of the area will go up,” Ogbonna said, “and the original land owners would gain from the land value.” The landowners will benefit financially. Non-indigenous people will have a guarantee on their investments, which will improve their status, create jobs, and increase the state government’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). It’s also a sign of progress.
He went on to say that the government may revive the 9th Mile master plan, but that it would come at a high cost because people reverted back to their old habits and began developing their land haphazardly after the plan failed.
He believes that if the government revamps the plan, it will be necessary to address the irregularities that have already arisen.
“If the government decides to demolish the structures, it will incur expenditures, and people would have to be paid,” he said. Anyone with enough knowledge would recognize that preparing a master plan for a place before it begins to develop is the way to proceed.
Muyiwa Adelu, head of the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON), said that the government’s apathy toward master planning is often attributable to governors’ illiteracy.
According to him, the benefits of adopting a master plan like the 9th Mile much outweigh the government’s resistance, because the implementation will benefit both people and government.
The 9th Mile master plan was established by the previous administration, according to a top official of the Enugu state government, who added that the current government is not accountable for the contract or its subsequent implementation.
