Flood: Town planners urge FG to implement 1992 urban planning law

The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) has called on the federal government and the National Assembly to implement the 1992 Urban and Regional Planning Law to curb recurrent flooding and other environmental challenges. NITP National President, Dr. Ogbonna Chime, made the call in Abuja at the inauguration of the institute’s Presidential Committee on the […]

The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) has called on the federal government and the National Assembly to implement the 1992 Urban and Regional Planning Law to curb recurrent flooding and other environmental challenges.

NITP National President, Dr. Ogbonna Chime, made the call in Abuja at the inauguration of the institute’s Presidential Committee on the National Assembly, which will liaise with lawmakers to push for the law’s enforcement.

Chime said the law provides for a National Urban and Regional Planning Commission, comprising professionals such as planners, engineers, architects, estate surveyors, builders, and water resources experts, to manage Nigeria’s physical environment.

He stressed that annual flooding could be mitigated if the commission became operational.

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“Every year, we talk about flooding. This commission will coordinate drainage plans, dams, and environmental management,” Chime said, noting that recent floods in Niger State claimed many lives.

He lamented that a review of the law, initiated by the last administration, stalled after its first reading in the House of Representatives.

While commending the new urban development policy of the Federal Ministry of Housing, he said enforcing the existing law would ensure sustainable infrastructure, reduce slums, and attract investment.

Chime also cautioned states against equating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with urban planning, explaining that GIS is only a tool in land management.

Committee Chairperson and former Minister of State for the FCT, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, said President Bola Tinubu’s track record in Lagos showed his commitment to urban planning. She urged lawmakers to replicate Lagos’ planning successes nationwide.

“Without this law in operation, what legal framework guides Nigeria’s development?” she asked. “We must align with the National Assembly to make it work.”