THEME: THERE CAN BE NO PROSPERITY IN THE JUNGLE
Sparking, the Preside t of the Association, Mr Nathaniel Atebije stated thus during the National Press Conference in Abuja.
According to him Nigeria has groped in darkness and confusion for many years. The dream of prosperity has been an illusion and recurring mirage.
He Noted that, Various and successive governments have wallowed in the “near or no success syndrome as Hopes of the citizenry have been dashed times without number.
Mr Atebije said the poor are getting poorer and the bargain for safety has been costly and unaffordable.
He stressed that Impunity and survival of the fittest built on the foundation of selfishness and greed puts the nation out of touch with the principles of sustainable development as leaders endorsed along with many other international treaties.
He affirm that Nigerian settlements are a caricature of space, a travesty of order and display of environmental cacophony.
''Where physical planning is not achieved, economic planning and development remain a mirage, because all economic activities take place on land. Prosperity is achieved where the environment is orderly, functional, aesthetically pleasant and safe, these are the attributes that any planned space is endowed with''. He Said.
Mr Atebije said For effective function, it is believed that “square pegs should be kept in square holes”. But wither Nigeria; where non-experts in physical planning are the team leaders in decisions that affect the use of land.
He said said Time has come and now it is, for Nigeria to chart a course for a Brighter Future for the prosperity of Nigerians and its citizens. We therefore call on governments at all levels and the people of this nation to Urgently activate the law on urban and regional planning which was enacted in 1992 and set up relevant structures to promote the planning and development of our human settlements;Create permanent Ministry of Physical Planning rather than making it an appendage to any other organ of government; Recruit town planners to beef up the manpower gap in offices of government; train and retrain the planners in public establishments to enhance their professional capacities and improved performance. Ensure that land (which is our natural and common inheritance and patrimony for all generations) should not be dispensed and shared among people as reward for political patronage. It should only be used judiciously after it has been properly planned by town planners.
He Called on Government to Prepare national, regional and local area master plans respectively to tackle and mitigate flooding and other environmental disasters in Nigeria within the framework of twenty to
(20/25) years’ time frame.
He appealed fir the Engagement of town planners to prepare physical development plans to guide location of land uses for effective harnessing of resources to promote their economic and social benefits.
''These plans would include National Physical Development Plan at the national level, Regional and Sub-Regional Development Plans, Urban and Rural Master plans, Sector Plans, District Plans, Detailed Site Development Plans and Action Area Plans at the State and Local Government levels. It will also require the engagement of professional Town Planners in both private and public sectors as consultants and operators/implementers of the plans.ConclusionIt is only in jungles that nature acts without control and direction. When jungles are to be turned into habitable places for humans and other components of life, it because an environment to develop and prosper''.
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