TOWN PLANNERS URGED TO ASSIST GOVERNMENT IN REALIZING PLANNED CITIES.
The Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Chief John Okiyi kalu has urged Town Planners to help actualize government’s efforts in ensuring planned cities in the state.
Chief Okiyi Kalu who stated this during the luncheon of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, NIIP, Abia State Chapter, held in Aba noted that lack of planning and indiscriniminate ertection of buildings held caused the blockade of drainiage channels, leading to the flooding of markets, roads and homes.
He made it clear that the era of indiscriminate erection of structures in the state voer and adbised Town Planners to ensuet the implementation of Physicial Planning Standards in the state in order to have an orderly environment.
The Trade and Investments boss stated that the Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu-led administration is committed to delivering well laid out cities with basic infrastructure and frowns at attempts to subvert planning standards.
He regretted the lack of priority to the implementation of physical planning standards that has led to arbitrary erection of structures on unapproved spaces, especially in Ariaria international market where illegal structures are built even on drainages.
In his goodwill message, National President Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Olutoyin Ayinde, who blamed policy makers for the chaotic development of human settlements in the country, explained that the luncheon is another opportunity to call the attention of those at the helm of affairs to start the journey of planning for the future.
He tasked the electorate in the 2023 elections to only support candidates who will fund physical planning and sustainable development, adding that nobody should expect a functional city without planning.
Also speaking, two past national presidents of NITP; Lekwa Ezuta and Chijioke Odimuko, said physical planning provides framework that helps leaders to transform vision into reality using space as resource for development.
In his address earlier, NITP Chairman, Abia State Chapter, Stephen Nwazue, who stated that a master plan will set the state on the path of growth, commended Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for paying the counterpart fund of UN-Habitat for the commencement of a master plan for Aba, Umuahia and Ohafia cities, and expressed the hope that the project will soon be actualized.
Opara Joeiyke
