Posted by Town planners have been urged to lessen the impact of climate change by both President Bola Tinubu and Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
On Tuesday in Asaba, during the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners’ 54th National Conference and Annual General Meeting, they made distinct pleas for better urban planning.
When asked about the government’s efforts to curb climate change, Tinubu’s representative, 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.”
When asked about climate change, the President said, “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.”
According to Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme’s reading of Governor Oborevwori’s message, the governor asked town planning officials and regulatory organizations 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 emphasized the need of avoiding circumstances in which governments are compelled to destroy structures on waterways and drainage systems, with all the associated economic costs that entails.
“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 said.
Mr. Nathaniel Atebije, National President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), earlier stated that the Asaba Event Centre conference would serve as a forum for exploring solutions to the problems posed by climate change and flooding. He stressed that Delta, a coastal state, would especially profit from the initiative.
Atebije urged the state government to actively involve licensed urban planners from the Ministry of Urban Renewal in carrying out the state’s urban renewal program.
“Utilisation of town planners is not enough; unfortunately, people don’t value them,” Atebije added, wondering why the Federal Government is postponing the creation of the office of the Town Planner-General. Even though they are insufficient, they are not being used to their full potential. There used to be one urban planner for every 3,000 residents, but now there is only one for every 200,000.