In view of the rising spate of Slums and Unplanned Cities across the Country, the Nigerian Institute of Planners (NITP) has urged the government to prioritize Rural and Urban Planning so as to mitigate impact of rapid Urbanization.
The National President, NITP, Town Planner Nathaniel Atebije made this known during his Speech at the Annual National Quarterly Press Conference which took place recently in Abuja. Atebije urged the government to prioritize physical planning, invest in rural areas and increase inclusion of physical planning in the National Budget.
He said “In our analysis (of the national budget), we found that among the top 5 priorities are construction of two major housing projects and construction of Federal Secretariats in Abia, Ebonyi and Kebbi States. It still indicates lack of priority for physical planning, as even the few mentioned are remedial projects for problems already created such as slum upgrading, urban renewal and other challenges. These are fallouts of lack of planning”.
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However, Atebije commended the Minister for housing and Urban development, arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa on the various initiatives being undertaken under his leadership. He noted that the housing sector will witness better transformation with the blueprint being laid. He emphasized that greater priority needed to be paid to physical planning in order to realize the full potentials of the sector.
