The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) has said it will review the 43-year-old Abuja Master Plan to address issues of land grabbing, double allocation, fake layouts and others.
Mrs Lami Ayuba, the newly elected Chairperson of NITP, FCT chapter, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
Mrs Ayuba, who is the 14th FCT chairperson of NITP, said, “My vision is to advance the town planning profession and advocate for policies and actions that will address the planning problems in the FCT to make Abuja a livable and inclusive city.
“The FCT is among the well-planned cities in Nigeria. From inception, the Abuja Master Plan provided a blueprint for the development of the FCT.
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“While planning has determined the direction of growth and expansion of the city, new problems have emerged which require a continuous review and upgrade of growth and management policies by urban development.
“Some of the planning problems in the 43-year-old un-reviewed plan are land grabbing, especially within the regional areas, double allocations, fake layouts, overlapping layouts and unapproved developments which later resulted in eviction or demolition.
“Cloning of land documents, multiple allocations for a single park resulting in various court cases, land use conversions putting pressure on existing facilities and infrastructure.
“Also, absence of bus stops and laybys along intra-city road networks, thus creating unnecessary traffic and delays, growth of informally congested settlements along the city fringe and others.”
She further said that the institute would address the prevalence of uncompleted houses and undeveloped plots within the city centre which served as hideouts for criminal elements.
Ayuba added that the absence of a standard intra-city mass transit system, the absence of a sustainable accessible and affordable housing plan for residents had led to the rapid growth of both planned and unplanned expensive estates.
She noted that poor waste management, especially in the markets and satellite towns, was also an issue her administration sought to address. (NAN)
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