Globally, the first Monday of October is celebrated as the World Habitat Day. It’s a day to reflect on the state of towns and cities as well as on the basic right of all to adequate shelter, urban services and movement. The transformation in cities has brought with it several challenges. In some major cities, over 69 per cent of residents live in slums, grappling with poor infrastructure, lack of basic amenities and high cost of funds. Experts have agreed on the need to make the cities functional to act as engines of growth, reports, OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE.
The World Habitat Day offers an opportunity for governments to bring to the fore the challenges of millions who live in towns and cities.
It’s a fact that millions of the urban–poor live in slums with little or no access to basic amenities and well below the United Nations-Habitat standard for decent housing. People live in houses without toilets or in some cases over five people share a toilet and bathroom.
Lagos State Governor Mr Babatunde Fashola, speaking on this year’s theme, Changing cities; building opportunities, said it aptly described Lagos and the pursuit of his administration to become Africa’s model mega city.
He said positive change could help develop livable cities as engines of growth, which have the capacity to translate into opportunities for a larger number of people to have improved well–being if planned, but if not will result into urban degradation and unemployment.
Fashola said the reality that Lagos would be home to over 25 million people by 2015 challenged his government and stimulated innovative ideas which galvanised their plan to adopt systematic and directional developmental programme.
He, however, agreed that they wouldn’t have done much in creating a livable environment without the cooperation of the people.
On areas his government has worked on to create a livable environment, he listed good road network, construction of the Blue and Red light-rail network, which is progressing at an appreciable pace.
He said the affordable housing scheme of the government was also geared towards an innovative and sustainable solution to make home ownership accessible to first-time buyers in a livable city.
UN Habitat Programme Manager for Nigeria Mallam Kabir Yari said the day is to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.
He said over seven billion people reside on earth with half living in cities, calling on stakeholders to make the earth livable by their actions.
He said the United Nations agency had embarked on pro-poor land and housing programmes in some parts of Lagos, such as Ifako/Agege, and Jos while engaging in structured planning in Anambra, Nasarawa and Osun states.
He observed that the theme of this year was underscoring the need for our cities to be better planned to avoid chaotic development, urban sprawl and declining economic productivity.
He said: “When cities are well planned, they continue to provide opportunities to the current and future residents. One distinguishing factor of our urban challenge today is that while the urban population continues to grow phenomenally, the supply of natural land is fixed.
“This implies that, despite efforts at creating new sand-filled sites, there is a tendency for the cost to spiral upwards, as the contest for land by competing uses increases.”
Yari advised governments to ensure that, in present and future developments, land is efficiently and effectively utilised in a sustainable manner so that future generations are not denied the benefits and use of land.
Chairman, Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA), Mr Ladipo Lewis, while commending Lagos for some of its strides on the environment, urged the citizens to be part of the development and obey building control and planning regulations to have a livable city.
An environmentalist, Uko Umoh, asked governments to use this year’s theme as a guide in their various development plans.
He decried a situation where they allow people to develop houses and then turn around to demolish them, citing non-adherence to planning regulations. He stressed that cities must build opportunities for their residents if not, they would stand the risk of abuse and degradation.
Director-General, Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau, Mr Bolaji Uthman, urged that historical places in the state should be preserved. He decried the destruction of such places for newer development, which has no history. He argued that for a city to create opportunity for its residents, it must have a history.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development Mr Olutoyin Ayinde said the state has accomplished many development plans, such as the Lekki, Badagry, Ikoyi/Victoria Island, Ikeja, Alimosho and Lagos central master plans, that have made the city livable.
He said the state has continued to experience change and also build opportunities for its residents, which has made it synonymous with the theme of this year’s celebration.
