The Nigerian Institute of Town Planning (NITP)…
have expressed worry over the prevalence of criminal activities in the country and have linked them to ungoverned areas and incessant building collapse across the country which are attributed to lack of town planning. This was stated by the National President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planning (NITP), Oluwatoyin Ayinde yesterday at a press briefing in Abuja and entitled; ‘When governments are lawless and ignorant, planning is endangered.’
According to him, the incident of uncompleted buildings and disregard for societal morals may continue as a result of the disregard for effective planning which leads to building collapse, which is rooted in the collapse of values, morals and ethics increasing clash between farmers and herders. “Heightened incidence of crime and insecurity in the ungoverned spaces and stunted national development.”
He further reveal that he recently visited about 20 states to implore the governors to domesticate the 1992 promulgation of the Decree 88 which subsequently became a Law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria CAP 138 (LFN 2004). He added that the visit was to raise awareness on physical planning and to emphasize the sequence between planning and development.
He lamented that some of the states that domesticated the laws operate in errors, while some muddled up the whole system mistaking geographical information system for physical planning.
“After visiting 20 states, spoken physically to 7 state governors, met 3 state governors’ representatives, discussed with 5 speakers of houses of assembly, engaged 10 Vice Chancellors, 3 Rectors and 2 Deputy Rectors, was hosted by several traditional rulers, spoke at every state radio and/or television stations, the general view is that Nigerian governments are largely lawless and ignorant, with only a few showing willingness to get rid of these limitations. “The truth about laws is that they are principles. Principles are never broken for free; the consequences become glaring in a very short term’.
Ayinde called on governors and government functionaries, to invest in planning before seeking to develop, adding that anything other than that would amount to foolishness. ‘Doing otherwise is subscribing to foolishness,” he said. The former Lagos State Commissioner explained that, “planning truly answers to visionary leadership. Unless governments are run through well thought out policies, planning is difficult to locate.
He resolved that, “What planning does is to take you from your point of location to a destination you already determined. “Many governments seem to have no destination, which is why they probably need no plans and are thus satisfied with the mess they find themselves in. “In the absence of policies that deliver good governance, the people resort to self help and no approach to development is more dangerous than this – when everyone takes their destiny in their own hands.”
#Town Planning #Building Collapse #NITP #Nigeria Institute Town Planning
