...As town planners call for improved legislations on physical planning, regenerating of cities
The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. (Mrs.) Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has expressed concern over the alarming and rapid rate of urbanization in Nigeria, Africa and Asia.
Speaking on Tuesday at the 50th National Conference of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners,which held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Dr. Aliyu lamented that a very large proportion of the urban population lived in slums and squatter settlements without adequate basic necessities of life.
The minister who said the theme of the conference:”Regenerating Nigerian Cities for Sustainable Development”,was apt, regretted that many towns in urban centres in Nigeria needed regeneration.
The minister who is also a town planner, said:”The rapid urbanization in many developed countries over the past half-century seems to have been accompanied by excessively high levels of concentration of urban population in very large cities. Urbanization is taking place at different speeds in different continents globally. In Africa and Asia, the proportion of city dwellers is rising at an alarming rate and it is predicted that the proportion will likely reach 50 per cent by the year 2025. Developing countries today face greater urbanization challenges than developed countries.
“It is worthy of note that nearly half of the world’s people are now city dwellers and more than one billion of the world’s city residents live in inadequate or deficient housing because of rapid urbanization. The problem is more felt in Africa,Asia and Latin America where half of the population are either homeless or living in houses which are dangerous to health and an affront to human dignity . A very high proportion of urban population live in slums and squatter settlements without adequate water,lighting, sanitation and waste management. In Nigeria,many towns in urban centres also need regeneration”.
The National President of the Institute, Town Planner Lekwa Ezutah, called for improved legislations on physical planning and urban development.
Ezutah also called on the government to embark on programmes of regenerating Nigerian towns and cities.
” There is no gainsaying that many Nigerian cities are sick structurally weak, economically unviable and a state of environmental emergency.The theme of the conference calls for urban renewal for our cities. Let us use this opportunity to call on government to embark on programmes of regenerating our towns and cities so we can hand over to succeeding generations sustainable human settlements in line with the urban agenda.
“There is the need to improve on legislations on physical planning and urban development. Adequate financial Appropriations need to be made to urban planning matters to cater for all issues in urban planning”, he said.
