NITP seeks decentralisation of port facilities, review of abandoned projects

The Federal Government has re-emphasised its commitment to sustainable urban development, affordable housing and balanced regional growth through new policies, regional development and infrastructure initiatives that would improve Nigeria’s cities.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Dr Muttaqha Rabe Darma, said this yesterday, during the opening of the 57th International Conference and yearly general meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) in Lagos.

The conference, themed “Shaping the future of urban development through physical planning,” attracted the investiture of Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as a Fellow of the NITP and the unveiling of four books on physical planning and urban development in Nigeria.

The minister, represented by the Director of Urban and Regional Planning at the ministry, Mrs Margaret Ojewemimo Adejobi, commended the NITP for promoting professional dialogue and practical solutions to challenges confronting physical planning and urban development in the country.

He said the administration was implementing policies and programmes to strengthen physical planning, expand access to housing and promote sustainable development across the federation.

Darma said the government was embarking on the formulation of strategic regional development plans for Nigeria’s geopolitical zones to improve coordination of land use, infrastructure, economic activities and urban expansion.

Meanwhile, the NITP has urged the Federal Government to decentralise port facilities from Lagos to other suitable locations across Nigeria, and to improve environmental safeguards for land reclamation and conduct a comprehensive review of abandoned federal projects.

President of the NITP, Dr Chime Ogbonna, lamented that concentration on port-related facilities in Lagos was putting enormous pressure on the state’s transportation infrastructure, land resources, environment and urban system.

He stated the need for strategic regional planning to promote balanced national development.

In his address at the international conference of the NITP, he said decentralising port facilities and associated logistics activities to appropriate locations across the country would help to ease the burden on Lagos State while creating opportunities for economic growth and regional development.

He, however, said that the move must be guided by sound regional planning, transport connectivity, environmental assessments and economic considerations to ensure that the proposed locations are viable and sustainable.

The NITP, therefore, appealed to relevant authorities to ensure that projects involving the reclamation of land from the sea comply with the highest standards of environmental engineering and physical planning.

He also called on the Federal Government to sustain its review of major projects abandoned by previous administrations, adding that the assessments should establish their economic, social and regional development value before decisions are taken on their possible revival.

Sanwo-Olu, while declaring the conference open, represented by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, lamented Lagos’ geographical limitations, emphasising that the state occupies approximately 3,577 square kilometres, while accommodating a rapidly growing population.

According to the governor, the pressure on available land has intensified the need for effective physical planning, affordable housing and coordinated infrastructure development.