The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Urban

  • WUF: Making urban spaces more climate-resilient

    The Ninth World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has ended with a call on people to use the new urban agenda as an accelerator to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and support climate action.

    According to the United Nations (UN), the world’s urban population is expected to grow by 2.5 billion by 2050, with over 90 per cent of this taking place in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

    This presents an opportunity to re-define urban development, including inventing liveable, low-carbon and resilient cities.

    Experts at the meeting recognised  that climate change would exacerbate the vulnerability of human settlements to natural and man-made hazards globally. This would especially be the case in developing countries, coastal and delta regions, and Small Island Developing States, they added.

    Adapting to climate change in human settlements is critical to ensuring that human development is not jeopardised and the growing population has the opportunity to thrive, the experts said.

    The Paris Agreement provides a framework for global climate action, engaging both national and local governments, including in least developed countries and secondary cities to take action.

    Over 2500 cities reported their commitments to both mitigation and adaptation on the Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action (NAZCA) platform, showing that many cities are already taking climate action, including in Africa and Asia.

    Countries can build resilience and enable adaptation in human settlements through national adaptation through the process to formulate and implement national adaptation plans (NAPs), including, linking national and local adaptation planning, and supporting local governments’ role in planning and implementing adaptation in human settlements.

    NAPs provide an opportunity to emphasise human settlements in national adaptation strategies, and foster further adaptation action by local governments in cities, towns and villages of all sizes.

    One of the key findings of an upcoming report by UN Climate Change on Adaptation and human settlements will be that national governments have a crucial role in enabling subnational governments to plan and implement adaptation action, and in providing adequate resources to do so. This report will inform climate negotiations in May this year.

    And the Cities and Regions Talanoa Dialogue launch provides further opportunities to advance and institutionalise multilevel governance on climate action, to ensure coordinated action across all levels of government.

    So-called “Cities and Regions Talanoa Dialogues’’ will be facilitated by ICLEI -Local Governments for Sustainability with Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy and UN-Habitat as special partners.

     

    • Culled from EnviroNews

  • LFTZ: Catalyst for real estate market, urban growth

    LFTZ: Catalyst for real estate market, urban growth

    The United Nations projects that Nigeria’s population will cross the 250 million mark by 2030. An estimated 10th of this figure will live and work in Lagos in an estimated area of 356,861 hectares of which 75,755 are wetlands. To the Lekki Free Zone (LFTZ), this presents development opportunities for real estate developers. Through the LFTZ, the host communities are also being transformed into a new haven for the upwardly-mobile.  MUYIWA LUCAS  writes.

    About a decade ago, Mr. Anthony Konyeaso, an engineer, declined an investment offer in real estate in Ajah area of Lagos State. His refusal to buy a plot of land in that region then was quite understandable given the difficulty of accessing the area and  infrastructural deficit in the region.

    But things are changing now on the axis. Just about a month ago, Konyeaso became the last of a close circle of eight friends, all middle-aged professionals, to relocate from Surulere to Ibeju-Lekki axis of the state.

    The group typifies a slow but growing exodus of middle-income earners from the Lagos Mainland to Island communities, now considered affordable to either build or rent residential apartments. Such movement is being hastened by the relief of commuting along this corridor, which hitherto posed a hydra-headed problem for residents and workers on the Lagos Island.

     The rush

    “The major works done by the state government on the Lekki-Epe Expressway has reduced the traffic congestion that used to be a problem for people living after Ajah,” explained Konyeaso.

    This, he further explained, is why several undeveloped estates in that area have suddenly experienced rapid development of houses. Besides, he noted that houses that used to be unoccupied in the area were now being filled as more people move in.

    Indeed, such is the rush to the Ibeju-Lekki corridor for realtors and other property owners, now positioning for the mega opportunities offered by the axis. While many see the area as the ‘new Lagos’, Konyeaso is convinced that the stimulant for the surge in real estate development in the region is based on the Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ).

    His position on this may not be wrong. For any gigantic project  comes with several opportunities. The LFTZ, an ambitious 16,500-hectare business hub, is a joint venture between the state government and private investors. It is expected to create an estimated 300,000 jobs and significantly boost the state’s gross domestic product (GDP).

    LFTZ investments

    According to the Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Rotimi Ogunleye, the net value of infrastructure at the zone stands at $4 billion. He also revealed that 116 investors had registered with the zone; with 16 already operational. “The Lagos State Government has, in the last two years, released N698.47 million as part of the state’s equity contribution to the joint venture,” he said.

    To further boost its commitment to the project, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode last March pledged to accelerate financial commitments to the zone. And to match his words with actions, Ambode announced an additional $62 million funding to be released to the project over the next six months. This is to be borne by the government and the China Africa Lekki Investment Limited, one of the partners on the project. The government’s commitment to start work on the Lekki Deep Sea Port as well as critical roads in the zone has been welcomed by investors in the zone and this is expected to accelerate investments going on in the zone. Dangote Group, which is the biggest private investor in the zone, is said to have invested about $4 billion in its refinery, fertiliser processing plant, gas pipeline project and a petro-chemical plant projects so far.

     

    Rising estate development

    The massive scale of these projects has already spurred a spike in real estate value within the Ibeju-Lekki axis as developers scramble to provide housing to the estimated 1,000 workers on the projects. During a business luncheon in Lagos, the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) urged its members to take advantage of the opportunities in the zone by investing in real estate development within the area.

    “The times are very exciting for us as real estate developers and residents here because we cannot even stop dreaming of the opportunities it will bring to this area when completed. At present, our property business is on the upswing, so can you imagine what it will be like when the LFTZ is operational?” asked Sunday Michaels, a developer in one of the estates along the corridor.

    He admitted that the opportunities, such as the growing real estate development in the Ibeju-Lekki region, had been triggered by the potential of the LFTZ. Besides, Michaels explained that “traffic is easier; the air seems cleaner here; and, most importantly, everyone is talking business opportunities that may arise because of the zone’’.

    However, experts warned that there was work to be done to sustain the excitement in the zone and ensure that the objectives were realised. The proposed sea and air ports as well as access roads to the zone, were critical to the success of the project. The objective of free trade zones is to spur manufacturing and export of such goods to boost the contribution of goods exports to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    The Lagos Free Zone is expected to be Nigeria’s biggest example of this. Ambode has so far shown that he realises this and is committed to facilitating these critical enablers. “It is clear that we have to dualise the Lekki-Eleko Road beyond the zone to withstand the influx of vehicles that will be making use of the road to access the zone. With this, we will be able to sustain the investments in the area,” he sai.

     

    Needed expertise

    While the zone, undoubtedly, presents immense opportunities to all stakeholders, it has also faced criticisms from experts as being too undefined. This is an area that the state government and urban development investors in the zone are working to address.

    One of the private investors in the zone, Rendeavour Nigeria Limited,  which specialises in unique satellite city concepts, seems to have shown promise on what real estate development should be in such areas.

    The firm, a force in Africa’s urban land development, has invested in about 30,000 acres across Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is, therefore, instructive that Rendeavour has committed to developing 1,000 hectares within the LFTZ, with provision of critical infrastructure that would further aid urban development in the axis.

    Alluding to the efforts and initiatives of his firm, Rendeavour’s Head of West Africa Operations, Mr. Yomi Ademola, said the firm’s efforts in other countries where testify to its credibility. He explained that a 5,000-acre city in Tatu, Kenya being handled by the firm is the country’s second largest project. The project, he explained, has attracted thousands of residents as well as foreign firms looking for manufacturing area in well-developed and managed spaces.

    “In Nigeria, specifically in Abuja and Lagos, we plan to replicate what we have done elsewhere, which is to invest in helping create world-class infrastructure that will help sustain and accelerate economic growth, meet the aspirations of a burgeoning middle class and serve as a catalyst for urban development,” Ademola added.

  • What I’ll tell Buhari when I meet him– 84-yr-old Urban & Regional Planning expert Mabogunje

    What I’ll tell Buhari when I meet him– 84-yr-old Urban & Regional Planning expert Mabogunje

    Professor Akin Mabogunje, 84, is a renowned geographer and an international expert in urban and regional planning. In this interview with BISI OLADELE, he explained the reasons he accepted the job of the Chairman, Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, stressing that the special institution was out to address what he would advise President Muhammadu Buhari to do if he met him. Excerpts:

    At your age, why are you into a venture that will take your energy and time?

    I think I am stupid to have accepted it but the truth is, when I clocked 70, one of my sons who is based in the United States was pleading that he would really love to have me write my autobiography which, of course, I could not do on my 70th birthday. But on my 80th birthday, I chose to launch my autobiography and it shows different in areas of public life apart from the academics in which I have had to serve the government. And I was still serving the government on my 80th birthday but I then went to then President Goodluck Jonathan to say I still have four assignments I was doing for government but all of which I will like to hand down and suggest who can continue.

    I was still in charge of the National Land Reform, which the late President Yar’Adua saddled me with. I was still in charge of the Lagos Mega City Development Authority which ex-President Obasanjo had saddled me with. And I was still in charge of Technical Committee on Housing and Urban Development. All of these I have done over the years but I think they had made me to go to Abuja almost on a weekly basis.

    I think at 80, I thought I should relax and have less stress rushing to the airport every beginning of the week. So, when the young man came this time, and you know some of them whose initiative was to establish a private NGO on government and public policies, which is what I have been worried about and some people do know my view; it was not easy for me to say no. They recognised that at my age I couldn’t run around but I could advise them. It was that appeal to the situation of governance in my country that made me accept. How long I am able to go on is another matter but once we put the school on the sound footing, I will be happy, just the way I did with other public assignments, to bow out graciously.

     What particular problem would you want this school to address in the Nigerian public service within the first five years?

    First is to call Nigeria back to become a democratic country. Because there are things the military did and no democratic government will allow it to stay. What I am talking about is true federation. What do we mean? That the military had turned things upside down because their system of operation is a unified command. They make this country operate as if it was a unified country and that is not what a federal system is meant to be like. One of the very first things I will want the school to promote is that the present structure (presidential system) is unsustainable. I can see why we went for presidential system of government and I can explain that at some stage. The 36 states in the federation are not sustainable. The local government system is not sustainable. They were all built up because oil money came.

    The Federal Government will rather sit on that oil money and trickle it down than allow the states that have the oil to enjoy their oil money like it happens in US. We all know a state in US called Texas and it has oil, agriculture, mining and a lot of solid minerals. And we have a state called Nevada which is virtually a desert. But Nevada will never ask Texas to share its revenue with others. Instead, it would use its own brain to see how to raise its own revenue to sustain herself. Of course, you saw what Nevada did. It must have decided that whatever is not allowed in the East coast states are allowed in Nevada. That’s why you see gambling, divorce through which it makes enough money to cater for its own needs.

    But in Nigeria, states are gifts of military laws. They ask them no question about how they are going to maintain it, how to pay salaries etc. If you are my master and at the end of the month, what claim do you have on the loyalty of myself if you can’t pay my salary? This is happening because they believe oil money will be there forever. That’s not democracy. Democracy requires free citizens who will provide resources for their own governance. The state structure and local government will be one and the presidential system will be another because we can’t maintain it.

    Now, let me explain it. The parliamentary system has one big default on the Nigerian point of view which is that, it allows us to elect somebody from any village and it’s the party that makes him Prime Minister. And that person may not have seen this country at all. He might just have been popular only in his village before he becomes our president without knowing how people are feeling in other parts of the country.  But we needed a system that will allow whoever will rule us to appreciate our diversity at different socio-economic levels of development. But to go for the American system was not right. The French system is the mixture of both presidential and parliamentary systems. This idea of separation of powers is another confusion in the system because if that separation of power allows the president to choose his ministers who don’t have to be from the Legislature, you can think of all the consequences of that.

    Mr President now brings somebody who did not campaign at all, called technocrat, as the minister. He now sits on billions of Naira in a ministry. And you invite him to the House to defend the budget. That’s why the legislators can ask the minister what is in the budget for them? That system in itself breeds corruption. Now, if you have a parliamentary system, there are ways people are disciplined within the system and there are advantages for you  to be within that discipline. If you are within the discipline of your party in a semi- presidential system which is like a parliamentary arrangement now, you can be minister as we did in the First Republic.

    And the Chief Whip of the party has a voice over you. You can also become an undersecretary just like the late Olubadan. With this, you have well disciplined political parties. If this was in place, we couldn’t have experienced what recently happened at the Senate and House of Representatives if we were running a semi-parliamentary system.

    Talking about my second issue, all of what I explained above would make me say they have disempowered our people from governance. You know in the past, most communities, governance or the local government was the government of locality not of region. There was accessible interdependence because we all knew ourselves. Therefore, each government belonged to their localities. If the roads are bad the head of the local government will do something quickly. Again, because those we elect to run the local governments need resources they will have to generate it from us, meaning we have to pay tax. Since oil money came, we said we won’t give local governments money again.

    Now, our roads are bad and we don’t know who to turn to. In the local government reform we did, the population in a local government should not be less than 160,000 and not more than 800,000. And what do we do? We joined communities like Ilora, Ilawe, Olorunda and others to become AFIJIO as their acronym. They all contributed to build few secondary schools. For you to emerge as the local government chairman, you have to campaign round the communities. But today, we have a situation of dysfunction of local government system.  It looks neat to say we have 774 local governments. We started with 299 and now we are having 774 local governments.

    Are you saying that local councils and states must generate their own revenue?

    Yes. Why else are they government? Let me explain something to you, I was teaching at Northwest University in the U.S. in 1979, I had to take my children, two of them, with me. They came home on Thursday saying there was no school on Friday. They said their teachers said they should not come. So I went to the school to find out and the teacher told me they were having a referendum. The town had 80,000 population. That shouldn’t have been a local government then. It had two high schools asking the local government council that they wanted French to be taught to their children.

    The agitation by the government was how much were they going to spend for the payment of the teachers and they felt the only reason to achieve this was to raise property rate and to know how much it will cost. Property tax is usually the source of revenue for local governments. So, that was why they sent home the children for the referendum to take place. The referendum was to ask whether people wanted French to be taught and vice versa but people voted in favour of it with the implication of a raise in the rate. In those days, if you say you wanted water, the question would be, how do we raise the money?

    All these structures we built on the fact that the federal arm controls oil money and gives to the local government; it is disempowering government. Now that the oil money is going down, we must go back to traditional institutions and this is, people must do their civic responsibilities by providing resources for those that will govern us.

    People forget the free education of the West by (Chief Obafemi) Awolowo was without oil money. But when the government decided to do it, Chief Awolowo had to raise capitation tax from six pence to 10.6 pence and there were people who revolted. He had to go and persuade them about the need for it although there was no corruption as it happens today. People contributed their money for government to do its job.

     How far is the Nigeria of today to the Nigeria of your dream?

    It is very far because oil, with the military, disempowered people. We all went for the federal system of government. The last constitution that addressed that issue was the 1963 constitution. It resolved many things but it asked regions to look for resources, but remember you are part of a nation. So, any resource you find, the royalty on it, you can take 50 per cent, give 20 per cent to the federal. The other 30 per cent goes into a pool for developmental projects. When the oil came, the 100 per cent comes to the federal and while the federal takes 52 per cent, the federating states take 48 per cent with their local governments.

    The Federal Government has been creating states without paying attention to how the states will survive. In the U.S., people can wake up and say they want their own local government because they don’t like other people in the communities that make up the council. All they need do is to prove that they are able to generate funds for the seven major functions of the local government. The local government has seven functions namely: education, health, fire services, road maintenance and others. And if you cannot afford to effectively perform them, you can negotiate with the neighbouring local government to offer some of these services such as waste management.

    The states I was, most local governments had three counselors who were Chairman, Secretary and the Treasurer. And because there are seven functions to perform, they have to share the functions among themselves. The chairman of the local government could be the fire chief. He must be able, as soon there is fire, call whichever community is providing that service to them because people will call him as soon as there is fire or whatever.

    The point I am trying to make is, you must as a local government be able to have your revenue generated and that can make your people keep an eye on you, not that you are away.

     If President Buhari invited you to offer advice on the steps to be taken to take Nigeria closer to the country of your dream today, what would you offer?     

    We were close to that in the conference we had but there is no country that can be run without the local government system. It is either you have the bad one which you must improve or good. So, my advice to President Buhari is that he should strengthen local governments to engender development. I have been on the Advisory Board of US Habitat for many years. So also on the Advisory Board of City Alliance for World Bank. There we asked to have a conference of mayors. Nigerians could not send mayors because our constitution does not recognise that there are towns. When we broke Ibadan into 11 local governments, we forgot to put the Metropolitan Planning and Transportation Authority on top of it. As a result, Oyo State Government seems to be performing that function. There are things we need to redo in this country. That’s why hopefully, this downward trend of oil revenue would force us to have a rethink.

    States that can’t perform should merge and they should remove those receiving salaries for doing nothing. Awolowo had one single service and can, through this, perform well in the area of free education and others.  In Nigeria, we like to build our house from the roof downward and local government is a fundamental element for a democratic system of government in any country. Normally, we used to call town hall meetings but the reason there is nothing like such again is because people have been disempowered. It is at the town hall we always decide what we want such as electricity and other social amenities.

    On the basis of having minimum of 160,000 and 800, 000 population, we had at the beginning 299 and two local governments in Abuja to make them 301. When the civilian came in 1979, people were saying ‘give us own local governments’. When Buhari came in December, 1983, he forced us back to the 301. When Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) came, he could not resist the pressure, so, he raised it to 459 without criteria. By the time he left, we had about 580.  And after he left, the agitation went on when Abacha came on board. He did not only mess up the states but the local governments situation. Up to that time, Lagos and Kano were initially having 15 but later went up to 20 local governments. But when Abacha came, he gave Kano 44 councils, while Jigawa had 26 and Lagos had 20. And now what is special about 774 local governments? US has 19,000 local governments, Britain has over 9,000 and Britain is less than half of Nigeria. But we don’t have urban centres and our constitution does not recognise any urban centre and we don’t have mayors.

  • Driving urban renewal with real estate investment

    Driving urban renewal with real estate investment

    With the drop in their allocations, some states are taking advantage of investments in the property sector to grow their revenue and facilitate urban renewal, MUYIWA LUCAS reports 

    These  are trying times for the  economy, especially with the crash in oil prices. The ripple effect, for a country like Nigeria that is 90 per cent dependent on oil, is that the monthly federal allocation to states has dwindled in the last three months.

    For instance, between last October and December, the net earnings from the federation account for some states showed that Lagos got N5.8 billion, N6.7 billion and N5.9 billion. Ogun, N1.4 billion, N2 billion and N1.3 billion; Kano, N4.2 billion, N4.8 billion and N3.9 billion; and Imo, N2 billion, N2.7 billion and N1.9 billion.

    For proactive states, one area that they have been able to capitalise on as a buffer is investment in real estate. This serves a two-way prong approach for the state’s development- urban renewal and revenue drive.

    One state that has keyed into this is Ondo. The ‘Sunshine State’ as it is referred to, is a predominantly civil service state, accounting for its low revenue earning from economic activities. But that is set to change now.

    This comes on the heels of its over N10 billion investment in an event centre, known as the Glass Hall Event Centre. This is the second phase of yet another edifice, that is, “The Dome”, which is said to be about 77 per cent completed.

    The Glass Hall Event Centre was designed and built by Messrs Groupo Systemso of Spain. It sits on a 36.05-hectare of land. It is built of combined steel and glass materials, with little cement works. Besides, it consists of two galleries, with the bigger gallery having a capacity of over 2, 000 and the other with a 420- sitting capacity; large screen for multi-media purposes and  a car park of 1,000 vehicles at a time; fire-fighting equipment, such as smoke detectors, sprinkler and toilet facilities as strategic locations.

    Others are two units of 1250KVA and one unit 750 KVA of generators; 100, 000 cubit feet water storage; chalets, amongst others. On completion of the complex, at the roundabout entrance, a dancing fountain, said to be a replica of the one in Dubai, would be sited. This is expected to also generate a lot of revenue for that country.

    The property is located at the Alagbaka Government Reservation Area GRA, Akure Township, and is said to be constructed to meet the unexpected high demands by the public. When fully operational, the centre is expected to generate an average of N45 million monthly from hall rentals alone. This is outside the use of other facilities that will attract revenue.

    The Director, Planning, Research and Strategy, Ministry of Housing & Urban Development,  Joseph Babalola, noted that based on the unfolding realities in the state, there was need for event centres that are of international standard. This reasoning may not be faulted given that at the Nigerian Society of Engineers’ conference held in Akure last year, accommodating over 5, 000 delegates was an issue. This is why the state now plans to develop a five-star hotel directly opposite the centre.

    “Apart from that, we discovered that the week-long event overstretched the available hotels in Akure, thus, forcing participants to look for accomodation in the adjoining cities, such as Ado Ekiti, Owo, Ondo and other places. It was this reality that made the government to conclude the plan for a five-star hotel that would be sited opposite the event centre,” Babalola said.

    The ripple effect of this centre, whose conception started in 2010, is the new wave of urban renewal activities in the city. For instance, the location of Shoprite in Akure was said to have been influenced by its proximity to The Dome complex. This has also been complemented by infrastructure provision, such as road expansion and construction. For instance, from the centre to Shoprite, and also to Idanre Hill, and the 18-hole golf course golf in Ilara, it all falls within 30 to 35 km, that is 15 to 20 minutes drive from the farthest point from the centre.

    “Because in a situation where we are having a programme that will accommodate like 5,000 participants, there will be a need to provide at least 5,000 beds, apart from the drivers and the aid that will come with those people. The multiplied effect will be telling a lot on the economy of the land. It will be increasing the economy that it will become more buoyant. The hotel that people will lodge in will get paid, other services will also be affected, the caterers and even recharge cards sellers; so it is a huge turnover of business,” Babalola, who is also the Project Director, explained.

    Plans are afoot to employ a facility manager for the project.

    In Ogun State, as part of its urban renewal programme, the government last week relocated villagers at Itoku-Elewe Irepodun on the Sagamu-Abeokuta Expressway to a new settlement in the area, where it has built 96 modern houses for them.

    The Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Taiwo Adeoluwa, explained that the relocation of the villagers became necessary as the Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led administration opened up the area with a housing estate as part of its urbanisation initiative.

    “There were 46 mud structures with small wooden box windows inhabited by the villagers who are mainly farmers on that land. With coming of the estate, Governor Amosun decided to relocate the villagers with the provision of three-bedroom flats for each household,” he said.

    Similarly, the Lagos State Government, to create a better state, where infrastructure would not be only adequate but be of standard befiting the status of Lagos as mega-city has commenced the review of Ikeja Model City Plan, which became operational in 2010.

    The review of the Plan, according to the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Wasiu Anifowoshe, was to ascertain the level of compliance with the provisions of the plan and improve on its gains.

    The commissioner said the exercise would involve, among others, the evaluation of the level of performance in the area of infrastructural provision, conflict of land uses, transportation, sanitation, security, housing, population, recreation and tourism.

    This initiative by the Lagos State government was part of its urban renewal initiative which has seen the creation of business districts across the state.

  • Experts lament decline in Lagos urban greening

    More than ever before, respective agencies and organisations are now realising the need for greener environment in line with the global climate change campaign.

    This was the subject of discourse at the just concluded Lagos State Stakeholders’ summit on greening of the environment by the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK) held at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

    Speakers at the event did not fail to emphasise the importance of urban greening, noting that it epitomises the incorporation of socio-cultural values in environmentally organised human settlements.

    For instance, an environmentalist with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Dr. Desmond Majekodunmi, bemoaned the conversion of the old Ikoyi Park to a residential estate, now called Park View Estate. For him, these efforts would not have been necessary if the old arrangement in the state had not been tampered with. He recalled that the ‘Old Lagos’ was green, citing such places like Race Course, now Tafawa Balewa Square, Ikoyi Park, among others that were centre of recreation to Lagos residents of all categories.

    “But force of power by the military destroyed what made Lagos tick. Ironically, the beautiful Ikoyi Park was destroyed and renamed Park View without any park created in it,”he said.

    Another speaker, Mr Adile Iroajugh, who spoke on “Stakeholders Involvement & Engagement in City Greening Initiative”, recalled the deliberations at the First Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June, 1992, which was based on the principle of sustainable development.

    He explained that the “Agenda 21” of international summit on climate change remains a call on governments to adopt national strategies for sustainable development and that the strategies should be developed with wide participation, including non-government organisations and the public.

    The Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, who represented the governor at the event, emphasised that environmental regeneration and sustainability have been integral parts of the programmes of the state government since 1999. He noted that the achievements recorded  are evident in the remarkable transformation of the state’s environmental landscape; that this administration is committed to continuing along these lines and take it even further.

  • Enugu sets up urban renewal committee

    Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has inaugurated a committee to drive urban renewal in the state with Chris Offor, an architect, as its chair.

    The governor dissolved the Nsukka Urban Renewal Committee earlier constituted to modernise and develop Nsukka town, replacing it with the Enugu Urban Renewal Committee as part of his administration’s plan to develop cities in the state.

    The information was contained in a letter signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Gabriel Ajah.

    The terms of reference of the new Committee which membership runs across the three senatorial districts of the state are to: identify factors responsible for the slow pace of development of some Urban towns in the state; develop Enugu State Urban Plan or modify the existing one if necessary; identify structures and buildings erected without Town Planning approval or that constitute nuisance which may obstruct the new Enugu State Urban Renewal.

    Other terms of reference include: to identify new satellite areas that could be developed as Urban Cities as part of Enugu State Urban Renewal and to make recommendations to the State Government, actions to be taken to give Enugu State Urban Cities facelift.

    It would be recalled that the state governor had earlier reiterated his commitment to the principles of justice, equity and fairness in the development of the state and promised to constitute a broad-based committee that would address the developmental challenges in the entire state.

     

  • UN-Habitat releases guidelines on urban planning

    The United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat), has predicted that by 2050, seven out of 10 people will be living in cities, leading to a rapid urbanisation.

    According to the body, this trend has been fueled by inappropriate policies, plans and designs of towns, which has led to inadequate spatial distribution of people and activities, and resulting in proliferation of slums, congestion, poor access to basic services, environmental degradation, and social inequity and segregation.

    To this end, the UN-Habitat has released guidelines to provide governments, local authorities, civil society organisations and planning professionals with a global reference framework that promotes more compact, socially inclusive, better integrated and connected cities and territories that foster sustainable urban development and are resilient to climate change.

    The guideline, known as the International Guidelines on Urban and Territorial Planning, serves as a compass for policy makers and urban professionals when reviewing urban and territorial planning systems.provide national governments, local authorities, civil society organisations and planning professionals with a global reference framework that promotes more compact, socially inclusive, better integrated and connected cities and territories that foster sustainable urban development and are resilient to climate change.

    It also comes in handy when reviewing, developing and implementing urban and territorial planning frameworks, and will be available in seven other languages of Arabic, Chinese, French, Persian, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese.

    The drafting of the guidelines, which spanned over two years, was supported by 35 experts, through a broad-based consultative and participatory process and based on evidence, good practices and lessons learnt from various contexts and at various planning scale.

    The United Nations (UN) agencies and members of the Committee of Permanent Representatives at UN-Habitat were also consulted and briefed throughout the development of the Guidelines.

    The process was supported by financial and technical contributions from the government of France through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the government of Japan through the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism the Prefectural Government of Fukuoka, the Municipal Government of Fukuoka and Seinan Gakuin University in Fukuoka.

  • Transport firm sets to improve passenger services

    The Urban Mass Transport Company (AUMTC) in Abuja said it has concluded plans to improve the safety of its passengers.

    According to Mr. Tunde Akintola, Head of Marketing and Communication at AUMTC, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday, the transport company plans to do this by regularly monitoring its drivers.

    Akintola disclosed that the company had improved its customer care services in the interest of passengers.

    “We are in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to give daily pep talks to our drivers on the basic tenets of driving.

    “We also mandate our drivers to properly check their vehicles every morning before they set out. This is to ensure comfort and safety of our passengers,” he said.

    The head of marketing and communication also said that the company had increased its loading depots in 2014 to cover more areas in Abuja to enable passengers in most part of the city to have access to its services.

    “In 2014, we were able to open four more depots in places such as Bwari, Mpape, Katampe and Gwagwalada; and we intend to open more in 2015.

    “With this, it will become easier to pick more passengers from different parts of Abuja and to reduce the mass transport deficit in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),” he observed.

    He said that the need to satisfy customers also prompted the company to pay adequate attention to its Customer Care Unit.

    “We ensure that our customers’ needs are adequately addressed and that is why we made efforts to modernise our Customer Service Unit by ensuring that our website is updated on a daily basis.

    “We also ensure that our call centres are always functional to respond to their needs.

    “Our commuters can easily reach us if they have complaints, and if customers send mails, we respond promptly, that is why activities like hawking and preaching in the buses have stopped.

    “These modest efforts fetched us an award as the Best Customer Service Company in 2014 from the Nigeria Customer Service Award,” he said.

    Meanwhile, Akintola called on passengers to support the company to enable it provide modern urban mass transport services in Abuja.

  • Urban farming on the increase

    Urban farming on the increase

    Rapid urbanisation has resulted in a sharp increase in food insecurity. For this reason, urban farming practised by the poor and lower-income groups is fast becoming de rigeur among  city dwellers. In some suburbs, maize and vegetable plots are springing up to counter expected food shortages, reports DANIEL ESSIET.

    Urban farming is the cultivation of a wide range of crops – including fruits, vegetables, tubers and ornamental plants – in cities and towns and the surrounding areas.

    With unemployment estimated at above 80 per cent and basic foodstuffs becoming unaffordable even for those who have jobs, vacant lots are fast being turned into agricultural plots. Following this, urban faming, widely practised by the poor and lower-income groups is fast becoming de rigeur among the city dwellers.

    One of them is Madam Okoro Madu (not real name) who lives at the Journalists Estate, Arepo in   Ogun State.

    She was desperate to grow something, so she planted some vegetables on the only available open space around her home. Madam Madu sets aside time for farming on weekends. She tends her crops herself and makes sure that she does not run out of food by producing vegetables for consumption and sale.

    Consequently, other residents followed her and began planting crops for their consumption. Collectively, they hope for enough rains to enable them to harvest a reasonable yield part of which they can sell to earn an income for their families.

    In many states of the federation, urban farming is playing a pivotal role in supporting the growth of the food industry.

    It is providing a livelihood for thousands of city dwellers, with vegetables bringing in good money for small growers and helping to alleviate malnutrition nationally. The demand for vegetables and the high prices they command in the cities have pushed many jobless residents into becoming small-scale growers.

    The burgeoning income of small vegetable growers, who sometimes earn between 200 and 300 per cent profit, have made them more attractive to those involved in agro exports.

    In some states with link to the major highways, most of the green spaces along the roadsides have been transformed into small farms.

    For experts, urban farming is a lucrative business. This is particularly the case for some states where the dynamism of the sector has led to move up the value added chain and strong market position.

    As a result, the sector contributes 30 per cent of the food sector total production.

    A Crop Protection Specialist, Prof Daniel Gwary, told The Nation that developing urban agriculture is crucial, given the current demographic trend.

    Globally, reports said urban food markets are set to increase fourfold to exceed $400 billion by 2030, requiring major agribusiness investments in processing, logistics, market infrastructure, and retail networks. This is because the growing middle class is also seeking greater diversity and higher quality in its diets. The most dynamic sectors overall are likely to be rice, feed grains, poultry, dairy, vegetable oils, horticulture, and processed foods.

    The good news also, is that many supermarkets are poised to take off, where they serve the middle-income population. Their benefits can include a broader supply of produce, safer foods, economies of scale, and lower consumer prices.

    The supermarkets support small-scale farmers, including urban farmers.

    For this reason, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and many other international and local institutions, are pushing just that message – that micro-gardening and other forms of urban horticulture can go a long way to boosting city dwellers’ food security and improving living conditions.

    Gwary, of the Department of Crop Protection, University of Maiduguri, said micro-gardening and urban farming allow people to better feed their families.

    As a matter of urgency, he wants governments at various levels to recognise their roles as facilitators in food security and nutrition strategies.

    So far, he sees the biggest weakness in the value chain, however, as farmers not being able to organise the collection of crops produced in scattered locations for delivery to processing facilities.

    As such, there are high rates of spoilage. A shortage of sufficient throughput for processing discourages investments into value-added production, which in turn leads to a further increase in spoilage.

    Apart from this, there are significant information gaps as well: on up-to-date market information related to growers.

    Prof Abel Ogunwale sees urban farms as a “growth area with compelling fundamentals driven by urbanisation, population growth, and rising incomes’’.

    For Ogunwale, a consultant with the World Bank, urban farming is one within a menu of solutions to help feed more people in a manner that advances economic development and reduces pressure on the environment.

    He said most forms of urban farms require land, water, feed, and energy—input that are scarce and need government assistance.

    For him and some private sector stakeholders, one of the biggest challenges facing urban fruit and vegetable farmers are difficulties in obtaining large surfaces of land.

    Whatever the size, the don noted that urban farmers need enough lands to assure sufficient production volumes.

    Others are poor input markets, difficulties in accessing land and finance and inadequate skills and technology.

    All-weather roads, Ogunwale noted, are crucial for urban farms to gain access to markets. Recent improvements in main roads mean that a disproportionate share of the high transport costs for agricultural produce are incurred within the first few kilometres from the farm, because the roads are bad.

    For a strong sector to emerge, he said supply and credit services with it should be strengthened.

    However, Ogunwale said the Geographical Information System (GIS) could be used to map vegetable production and analyse how urban agriculture contribute to food security.

    GIS project, he maintained, would analyse data gathered on the ground and via satellite about crop species, production, land surface and workforce.

    He appealed to the government to address post-harvest loss issues and improve input products and service delivery to farmers, while the agricultural and finance institutions should be well-positioned to support the development of the sector.

    The President, Lagos Apex Fadama Association, Alhaji Abiodun Oyeniran, said the government is trying to open up some areas of land suitable for large-scale production to farmers despite increasing pressure on urban lands for residential development.

    FAO said an estimated 130 million urban residents in Africa and 230 million in Latin America engage in agriculture, mainly horticulture, to provide food for their families and earn an income.

    “While the urban poor, particularly those arriving from rural areas, have long practised horticulture as a livelihood and survival strategy, in many countries the sector is still largely informal, usually precarious, and sometimes illegal,” world body said.

    People often farm idle urban land, but with no legal standing, they can be kicked off when the land is wanted for development. FAO said urban policies should acknowledge the role of urban and peri-urban agriculture in development.