Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Abia State Chapter, has appealed to the state government to improve funding of physical and urban development planning activities, as well as agencies saddled with the responsibility to bequeath a liveable environment for the people.

The institute also urged the state government to rally support for domestication of the national building code, which, it noted, would help the state in tackling a lot of issues bedevilling the building sector.

National President of the Institute, Nathaniel Atebije, made the appeal during a visit by the state chapter of NITP to the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Kenneth Kalu.

Atebije, who was represented by the First National Vice President of the institute, Chime Ogbonna, said the state government has the responsibility to make the domestication of the 1992 Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Law meaningful.

According to him, without setting up relevant institutions that would make the law operational, the domestication would remain irrelevant to the people. He further said since every human settlement is a potential urban area, every part of the state should be planned ahead of all human activities as provided in the Urban and Regional Planning Law.

The national president advised the state government to fund existing town planning institutions in the state, with special emphasis on town planning authorities. He explained that the physical development control agencies are like the police, adding that if provided with enabling facilities, they will be at their best in service delivery.

Also speaking, a former president of the institute, Dr. Chijioke Odimuko, urged the state government to partner planners in the state. He stated that town planners play a significant role in urban and rural development.

Reacting, Prof. Kalu thanked the institute for the visit, describing it as timely. He pledged that the state government would partner NITP in its rebuilding agenda for Abia people. The SSG appreciated the institute for its professional advice, assuring the state government willingness to welcome inputs from relevant authorities in its efforts to make the state better. He also disclosed that the Master Plan for Aba, a leading urban centre in the state, has been presented to him. (The Guardian, but headline rejigged)

Update news