By PAT ONUKWULI

Urban civilisation is measured less by imposing buildings than by the quality of life a city sustains. Cities prosper when growth, technology and investment are balanced with sound planning, environmental responsibility and social inclusion. New Enugu Smart City therefore deserves national attention as an opportunity to establish a better model of urban development in Nigeria.

Over the past five decades, Nigeria has produced very few genuinely planned cities. Abuja remains the country’s foremost example of a city conceived and built largely from the ground up, primarily to decongest Lagos and provide a purpose-built Federal Capital. Its original master plan was one of Africa’s most ambitious urban planning exercises, carefully integrating residential, commercial, institutional and recreational districts with supporting infrastructure.

Abuja, however, also offers an important lesson. Repeated alterations to the master plan, inconsistent development control and an increasing number of planning exceptions have gradually weakened many of its founding principles. The result is mounting congestion, growing pressure on infrastructure and development patterns that increasingly resemble the urban problems the city was designed to avoid. The lesson is not that master plans fail, but that they cease to protect cities when cities cease to protect them.

Most generations inherit cities they did not build and leave behind cities they will never fully inhabit. Urban leadership is therefore judged not only by completed projects but also by the institutions, standards and public spaces preserved for those who follow. The true measure of development lies as much in what endures as in what is delivered.

That is why New Enugu Smart City should matter. It could offer an opportunity to demonstrate that disciplined planning can withstand political cycles and commercial pressures, that long-term vision need not yield to short-term convenience, and that institutional consistency can safeguard urban integrity. The initiative reflects the vision of Governor Peter Mbah and the practical leadership of Mrs Nkeiru Arum; the decisive test is faithful execution.

The greatest test, however, is not how projects begin but how they endure. Successful cities are built over decades, often outlasting the tenure of those who initiate them. New Enugu Smart City should therefore be safeguarded by institutions, professional standards and planning controls strong enough to outlast leadership changes.

A genuine smart city is defined not by the quantity of technology it deploys, but by the quality of life it delivers. Technology has value only when it improves how people live, work and move through safer communities, efficient services, sustainable infrastructure and responsive governance.

By enhancing liveability, wellbeing and economic productivity, these qualities also strengthen a city’s competitiveness. Efficient infrastructure, predictable regulation and reliable public services could therefore position New Enugu Smart City as a centre for investment, innovation, entrepreneurship and skilled talent.

The potential benefits are considerable. Intelligent transport reduces congestion and commuter stress; smart utilities improve the reliability of essential services; digital healthcare expands access to medical care; environmental monitoring improves air and water quality; and parks, pedestrian networks and integrated emergency systems promote healthier, safer communities. Together, these measures improve both urban efficiency and quality of life.

Yet every opportunity carries risk. Technologies that improve efficiency may compromise privacy, heighten cyber exposure, strain public finances, or exclude digitally disadvantaged citizens. Artificial intelligence can strengthen decision-making, but without oversight it may also reinforce bias. These risks call not for less ambition, but for stronger institutions. Like Icarus in Greek mythology, a city may be undone by ambition unrestrained by judgement; technology must therefore remain anchored in sound governance, discipline and accountability.

Equally important is the human dimension. No development, however technologically advanced, can command lasting confidence without transparent land administration, environmental stewardship, community engagement and institutional accountability. Investors need certainty, communities expect fairness, regulators require compliance, and residents deserve protection from future burdens. Sustainable cities are built not only with infrastructure and technology, but also with trust.

Experience worldwide demonstrates another enduring principle: cities flourish when development controls remain consistent and decline when exceptions become routine. Each departure from an approved framework may seem insignificant in isolation, but collectively they can alter traffic flows, overload infrastructure, weaken environmental performance and erode investor confidence. Protecting the master plan is therefore not administrative inflexibility; it is responsible stewardship.

New Enugu Smart City stands at a defining moment. It can become another ambitious project, gradually diluted by incremental departures from its original vision, or it can set a new benchmark for disciplined planning, institutional continuity and sustainable urban development. The difference will not be determined by architecture or technology alone, but by the consistency with which planning principles are upheld.

Nigeria needs more than new cities; it needs better cities, places where economic growth is matched by environmental responsibility, where technology serves people, and where governance remains disciplined. If New Enugu Smart City preserves its planning integrity, it will contribute more than modern infrastructure; it will demonstrate that Nigeria can build enduring urban institutions rather than repeat familiar mistakes.

•Dr Pat Onukwuli, a legal scholar and public affairs analyst, can be reached via patonukwuli2003@yahoo.co.uk

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