President Bola Tinubu has tasked states to domesticate the National Urban Development Policy to bolster town planning.
Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, made the call at the 2025 Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) 56th International Conference and Annual General Meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.
The theme of the conference was: ‘Refocusing Planning Administration Towards Sustainable Urban Governance and Development’.
He said that the Federal Government placed urban development at the heart of the national transformation agenda.
He said,” This is because of the understanding that cities are more than economic hubs;they are also spaces of innovation, social integration, and environmental responsibility.
“Today, Nigeria grapples with challenges of rapid urbanization, unplanned growth, informal settlements, infrastructural gaps, and environmental threats.
“So, in response, our government is taking the following strategic steps.
$The first is approval of the National Urban Development Policy a few months ago, a milestone initiative reflecting our determination to build liveable, resilient, and productive cities.
“The policy provides a harmonised framework for collaboration among agencies responsible for planning, housing, and infrastructure, promoting coherence and accountability.
“I want other state governments to also domesticate this policy in their own domains.”
According to Tinubu, his government is building strong partnerships with professional bodies, such as NITP, to drive evidence-based policymaking and capacity building.
He listed some of the policies to include: digitisation of planning administration, Urban Inclusiveness Policy, and mainstreaming climate action in urban planning, among others.
Tinubu said recently that the administration inaugurated bus terminals in Abuja and awarded contracts for one bus terminal in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country under the Ministry of Transport to serve as pilots for urban regeneration efforts.
He therefore urged NITP to continue leading by upholding the highest standards of professionalism, mentoring young planners, and championing solutions that address the evolving challenges of Nigerian cities.
Dr Ogbonna Chime, National President, NITP, said it has been organising the conference annually to bring to light issues in urban planning.
He added, “This is also to see the way forward and the 2025 conference drew attention to the sobering reality of uncoordinated administration of urban and regional planning and its effects.
“At all levels of government, be it Federal, state and local, the practice of planning is hampered by weak institutions and poor political commitment.
“The laws that were painstakingly designed to guide our practice are not faithfully implemented.
“Many of our settlements lack master plans while the few that exist are often reviewed selectively and in fragments, dictated more by political interests than by profession judgment or public good.”
Chime said that political interests and disregard for procedures had reduced planning to a reactive, often chaotic exercise rather than a proactive, orderly process.
He said, “It was meant to be leading to haphazard urban growth, slum proliferation, infrastructural deficit and widespread environmental degradation.”
He said the partnership that should exist between town planners and political leaders in most cases had been replaced by suspicion or neglected.
Chime added, “This is knowing fully well that without mutual respect and synergy between professionals policymakers, no settlement would achieve true potential.”
He therefore urged the government to correct the anomaly so that the noble intentions behind NITP would be fully realised .
Chime also urged town planners to enforce planning laws, demand their faithful implementation, undertake holistic reviews of master plans, and pursue settlement development that is orderly, inclusive, and sustainable.
He said, “The destiny of our settlements lies in our collective hands. Nigeria’s urbanisation can either become a curse of slums, congestion and environmental decay, or a blessing of prosperity, equity and sustainability.”
Mr Isyaku Kura, President of the Town Planners’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC), said that for so long, the absence of a structured, annual verification process has exposed the profession to risks; chief among them is the proliferation of unqualified individuals masquerading as town planners.
He said, “This not only erodes public trust but also compromises the quality and integrity of our work.
“The future of our profession rests on our willingness to embrace change and commit to excellence.”
Also speaking, the former Minister of State for FCT, Ramatu Aliyu, expressed concern about the slow pace of implementation of urban laws, underscoring the importance of political will.
Aliyu, therefore, called on town planners to go into politics to vie for positions to place them in decision-making offices to galvanise the necessary support for town planning policies to be carried out.
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