President Bola Tinubu and the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, have called on town planners to mitigate the effects of climate change on the people.
They spoke separately on Tuesday in Asaba at the 54th National Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, asking them to ensure effective planning of towns and cities.
Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Housing and Urban Renewal, Architect Ahmed Dangiwa, said: “I am convinced that effective town planning remains an important tool in our effort as a government to contain and mitigate the challenges of climate change.”
The President noted: “Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it is a stark reality that confronts us every year and every day; the rising temperature, the table water patterns and more frequently severe floods around the world have become the norm rather than the exception.”
Governor Oborevwori, in his address read by Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme, urged town planning officials and regulatory bodies to “ensure strict compliance with town planning and urban development laws to avoid the unpleasant task of demolishing buildings on waterways and drainage channels.”
He stressed the imperative to avoid situations where governments are forced to demolish buildings on waterways and drainage channels, with all the negative implications that such action portends for the economy.
“Our government is fully aware of its responsibilities to Deltans and we are facing them squarely by making our built environment more climate-resistant,” he noted.
Earlier, the National President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Mr Nathaniel Atebije, said the conference, held at the Asaba Event Centre, would provide a platform to interrogate the challenges of climate change, flood resilience, and ways to provide mitigation measures. He emphasised that Delta, being a coastal state, would benefit from the programme.
Atebije enjoined the state government to meaningfully engage certified town planners in the Ministry of Urban Renewal in the implementation of the master plan of towns and cities across the state.
Wondering why the Federal Government is delaying the creation of the office of the Town Planner-General, Atebije said: “Utilisation of town planners is not enough; unfortunately, people don’t value them. They are not fully utilised, despite the fact that they are not sufficient. Before, the ratio of town planners was one to 3,000; today, the ratio is one to 200,000 people.”
