‘Most Nigerian cities don’t have master plan’

The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) has said that most cities in Nigeria do not have a master plan and those that have are yet to take steps to implement them.

President of the institute, Lekwa Ezutah, made this known in Abuja at a media briefing recently.

According to him, “Only Abuja and Owerri have a comprehensive master plans that have been fully implemented. Some cities have master plan but they haven’t been implemented or reviewed.”

Ezutah also lamented the inability of the Federal Government to implement the requirements of the Urban and Regional Planning Law.

“Since 1992, the Urban and Regional Planning Law was set up and provides for an Urban and Regional Planning Commission at the federal level, planning boards at the state level and planning authorities at the local government. But till date, government has not implemented the law, 27 years after.

“This is why the focus of the institute under my leadership is creating awareness to policy makers and the general public on the importance of town planning at all levels to ensure that professionals are engaged at all levels to reduce the cases of building collapse and irregular physical planning,” he said.

Ezutah also reiterated the institute’s commitment in ensuring that development control takes center stage in Nigeria, lamenting that it has been lacking in the country for so many years.