FCT town planners seek attention to ‘ungoverned spaces’

The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, FCT chapter, on Wednesday said the various ungoverned spaces that dot various parts of the country were contributing to the prevailing insecurity in the country. Addressing a press conference in Abuja as part of activities to mark the 2021 Town Planners Week,   Chairman of the group, Tpl Mustapha […]

The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, FCT chapter, on Wednesday said the various ungoverned spaces that dot various parts of the country were contributing to the prevailing insecurity in the country.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja as part of activities to mark the 2021 Town Planners Week,  

Chairman of the group, Tpl Mustapha Mubdiyu, noted that Nigeria and other countries around the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel have experienced increasingly violent attacks in recent years by criminal elements.

Mustapha said many of these attacks were said to be launched from areas often referred to as ungoverned spaces “due to the weak presence of formal institutions and systems”.

He said ungoverned zones which are spaces that lay beyond the reach of government pose a significant threat to security and stability and are “often perceived as fertile grounds and safe havens within which terrorist organizations incubate and thrive.’’

The chairman raised the alarm that the state of administration and infrastructure of these neglected or ungoverned areas have “created an enabling environment for terrorism, kidnapping and banditry, cattle rustling and armed robbery.

“Military action which has been the default response to bring these areas back under state control has proven insufficient, hence the need to review the strategy to understand”.

He said the theme of this year’s conference ‘Regional Planning and Development in Nigeria: Ungoverned Spaces and National Security was very apt as there is no better time to examine these issues than now.