By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie
The Lagos State Government has advised intending developers to obtain planning information free from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
The Commissioner, Dr. Idris Salako, made this known during the presentation of progress report on the state Electronic Physical Planning System being developed by the ministry.
He said planning information was important in guiding developers on the use of sites for building construction.
‘’Planning information gives information on land use and helps reduce infractions in the built environment,” he said.
He said the state government had sustained the rendering of planning information as a social service, made available to the public free and urged Lagosians to avail themselves of this important service as a prerequisite for determining whether to go ahead or not with a physical development plan in relation to a given site.
He stated that by making the service within the reach of Lagosians, the government had improved her Ease of Doing Business rating while contributing to the achievement of the THEMES agenda of government, particularly the Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy Pillar.
”In view of its importance, planning information is being considered as an integral part of the ongoing efforts to adopt electronic physical planning system in the state,” he said.
Also, the state government has stated her readiness to partner the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) to realise the vision of making Lagos a sustainable smart city of choice.
Salako stated this during a visit by NITP President Olutoyin Ayinde. He said the government cherished the support of professional bodies, stressing that collaboration was required to attain a livable, organised, orderly and sustainable physical environment in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda.
He said the ministry, in upholding the essence and ethics of the town planning profession, evolved a smarter vision and mission and made other meaningful reforms, such as the ongoing digitisation of its processes, to optimise its services to the people.
”As ambassadors of the profession, we in the Ministry have been keeping the flag flying while latching on the impetus provided by the Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy pillar of the state government agenda to do more and produce actions that benefit the state,” he said.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Urban Development, Ganiyu Adele Ayuba, urged the institute to work closely with the government to resolve the challenges of planning.
He emphasised that professional bodies must unite and cooperate with the State Government to ensure the sanctity of planning.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Abiola Kosegbe urged the NITP to help spearhead a mindset change among its members, who were supposed to provide solutions to the society.
Earlier, Ayinde said the essence of the visit was to assess the state of physical planning in Lagos and feel the pulse of members of the institute in the state chapter.
While maintaining that town planning is key to governance, he called for a paradigm shift in the approach to planning in order to bequeath a livable and sustainable built environment.
“We must realise that to achieve a sustainable environment, planning is uncompromisable. We must begin to think about planning for the future and planning for all,” he said.
Leave a Reply