The General Manager of the Umuahia (Abia State) Capital Development Authority (UCDA), Mr Kingsley Agomoh, and the State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) have corroborated that the proposed new state capital in Umuahia should be designed for strength.

They made this known during the NIA two-day 2025 Forum, which ended at the weekend in Umuahia, with the theme “Design for Strength: A Focus on New Umuahia Capital City.”

The State NIA Chapter Chairman, Architect Emmanuel Nwankpa, in his address, said that the Architects’ Forum, which is held annually alongside the World Architects Day (WAD) on the first Monday of October, serves as a veritable platform for industry experts, policymakers, stakeholders, and progressives from all walks of life to review topical environmental and physical development issues that have dominated the centre stage of global discourses and to consider the impact of the physical environment on people’s everyday lives.

Architect Nwankpa also stated that the State Chapter adopted this year’s global theme, “Design for Strength,” and that the theme finds ready expression and relevance in the vision and policy of the current Abia State Government regarding the new Umuahia Capital City that is on the horizon.

Agomoh, the UCDA General Manager, who was the Guest Speaker, commended the architects for choosing a theme that speaks directly to the collective aspiration to build not just structures but a legacy of strength, resilience, and purpose for Abia State.

He also enjoined other stakeholders in the building industry to champion the new modern Umuahia Capital Territory being envisaged by the Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, to reflect a city powered with vision through collaboration that redefines sustainable growth.

He said that the focus on strength could not have come at a more defining moment than now, when people live in an age that demands resilience, innovation, and foresight, noting that “across Nigeria and beyond, cities are being redefined not by size but by the strength of their design, the clarity of their purpose, and the inclusiveness of their growth.”

He therefore tasked architects to design not just buildings but the future of the people, positing that a truly strong design outlives trends, anticipates change, absorbs shock, nurtures the human spirit, and gives a city both its backbone and soul.

Governor Otti, who was represented by the Facility Manager, Government House, Architect Onuka Ukwa, said that his administration has set out to move big in the Umuahia development space in response to the growing population and to translate the new Umuahia Capital City dream into reality.

The governor therefore beckoned architects to identify with the government, make inputs in the project outlines, and share their concerns, indicating that the necessary support will be given to them.

In a paper titled “Professional Engagement in Real Estate: A Strategy for Urban Development,” a former President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Chief Lekwa Ezutah, said that professional engagement in real estate refers to the active and ethical involvement of trained, certified, and regulated practitioners in the process of land acquisition, development, valuation, management, and investment, stressing that professionals must reposition themselves as strategic partners — not contractors for design or approvals — but as co-drivers of urban transformation.

He maintained that it requires professionals to move beyond technical design to play strategic roles in shaping investments, policy, and community outcomes to ensure that decisions in real estate are informed, data-driven, and sustainable, adding that urban development must therefore be driven not by speculation or politics but by professional expertise, ethical standards, and strategic planning.

“Real estate can either build or break cities, while urban development that is not guided by professionals is development without direction,” he stressed, adding that “when professionals collaborate effectively, cities grow in a planned, equitable, and resilient manner.”

According to Ezutah, professional engagement in real estate is not an option but a duty and the surest strategy for achieving orderly, sustainable, and inclusive urban development.

Explaining further, he said, “Real estate development acts as a driver of urban growth, while urban planning provides the framework for orderly real estate investment; real estate is the engine, while planning is the steering. When the two are aligned, settlements grow sustainably, but when disconnected, we have urban sprawl and its attendant challenges and disadvantages.”

Ezutah therefore called for the strengthening of professional engagement in real estate practices and development, stressing that there is a nexus between real estate and urban development.