Physical planning is at the heart of every sustainable society. It is the deliberate process through which land, resources, infrastructure, and human activities are organized to achieve harmonious, functional, and aesthetically pleasing human settlements. In Nigeria, however, physical planning has been historically weak, reactive and often compromised by poor governance, corruption, rapid urbanization and a disregard for environmental sustainability. From the chaotic growth of Lagos to the uncoordinated sprawl of Abuja and the deteriorating conditions of older cities such as Kano, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt, Nigeria’s urban and regional development trajectory reflects a mismatch between policy intent and implementation reality. Recalibrating physical planning in Nigeria is therefore not a matter of choice but of necessity. The country faces an urban population projected to reach over 60% by 2050, growing informal settlements, climate-related risks, and infrastructural deficits. To avert urban crises, Nigeria must realign its planning system, laws, institutions, and practices with contemporary realities.
Historically, physical planning laws in Nigeria can be traced to the colonial period, when the British introduced rudimentary town planning ordinances mainly to serve administrative, commercial, and expatriate enclaves as basic idea of physical planning was not completely alien to native intelligence in Africa. We can see the example of physical planning as demonstrated in the ancient Kingdom of Benin. However, laws, as we know today, were a British invention. The 1917 Township Ordinance and the 1946 Lagos Town Planning Ordinance focused more on segregation than holistic development. Post-independence, the 1978 Land Use Act and the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Act of 1992 (now Cap N138, LFN 2004) sought to institutionalize planning, but enforcement has been weak. Beyond that, the unitary nature of the latter legislation has been whittled down by the decision of the apex court of Nigeria in the case of the AG, Lagos state v. AG, Federation wherein physical planning matters in the country were declared to be a residual matter under the Nigerian Constitution.
The federating states, since that decision in 2004, has exclusive competence to deal with physical planning development matters. Hence, the recent attempt by some unscrupulous federal government officials to encroach the area of physical planning and hijack once again this exclusive constitutional role of the States governments is not only immoral, illegal but criminal. In my strong view, it is enough ground to remove a public official who swore to uphold the tenets of the Constitution. I must register the fact that chaos witnessed in the physical development of the country is not unconnected with the then unhealthy dichotomy which the Supreme Court has resolved now. This unholy and ungodly effort to return us to that barbaric era is not only regrettable and unfortunate but sinful and wicked. Consequently, all efforts must be geared towards restraining these agents of destabilization and retrogression from achieving their objectives. As I opined above, the implication of such retrogressive act is the birth of unplanned urban sprawl, traffic congestion, weak zoning control, flooding due to blocked drainages, and the proliferation of slums. The huge contribution of environmental impact on the health of the citizens due to poor physical planning cannot equally be underestimated.
This trajectory reveals a need to recalibrate physical planning beyond outdated frameworks. Towards this end, so many actions must be taken. The foremost of this must be the review of the various physical planning laws. To the best of my knowledge, most of the town planning laws today are not only obsolete, they are simply not dynamic. As it was in the past, they are not holistic but only segmental and sectoral. Even the basic amendment to the parent legislation in the country, as overhauled by the Supreme Court decision referred to above, has not been effected. The National Assembly, and by extension, other relevant bodies are yet to align the said Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Act in line with the import of the apex court’s decision. Beyond this, the various states, except Lagos and possibly Kaduna States, to the best of my knowledge, have not made attempts at updating their physical planning laws. Even where there had been such an attempt, most of them basically capture layout and land uses. A contemporary legislation must reflect other developing crucial issues such as traffic, waste water management, noise level etc that I shall be unveiling in the course of this conversation.
Even where the legislations are updated, there still exists the challenge of weak institutional frameworks. Planning agencies at federal, state, and even local local levels often lack coordination and at times, work at cross purposes. The truth remains that, even as between the federal agencies and the states, the relationship is usually hostile, frosty and rancorous, as the federal government agencies and officials will always want to be overbearing, not for good cause but out of greed. It is still shameful that despite the resolution of the conflicts by the apex court, duplication of functions and jurisdictional disputes that undermine the efficiency of physical planning still exists. Moreover, building permits and land allocations are still frequently politicized or influenced by corruption, thereby undermining professional standards. In fact, the process of obtaining development permits is still largely fraught with corruption.
The same vice afflicts land allocation as the politicization element still plagues land allocation and use . Approvals are giving for wrong uses on ground of politics and at times outright corruption. An area zoned for residential purposes are now largely bastardized with commercial developments and vice versa. The rapid urbanization of the country is equally a contributory factor. With Nigeria’s population exceeding 220 million, urban centres are expanding without adequate infrastructure or planning. Lagos, for example, faces severe traffic bottlenecks, housing shortages, and environmental degradation. Even at that, planning models still fall short of the expectations. For instance, in a place like Ikoyi and Victoria Island of Lagos State, the government continues to approve skyscrapers without adequate network of roads.
A place like Banana Island that prides itself as the costliest real estate in the state has only a single entry and exit road. The original population of Banana Island planned for is now less than three times the population residing there and still ongoing with continuous reclamation and construction of multiple blocks of flats. This is further compounded by similar developments along and around the same vicinity. It is now becoming a nightmare, traffic wise, for residents of the area. There is no plan for waste water management or even provision of potable water, nor even Parks in the area.
Thus, gradually, the entire prime areas are now turning into urban slums. Environmental and climate pressures also renders planning ineffective. As I have noted in my several interventions on climate change, Nigeria is one country that is impacted by all the three hazards of climate change. As we experience flooding in Lagos, desertification in the north, so also we have coastal and gully erosion in the southeast, often aggravated by poor land use and absence of disaster-sensitive planning. Just as symptomatic of our other laws, the planning laws are often honoured more in breaches than observance. Weak enforcement and public disregard for planning regulations continue to foster illegal developments, sometimes backed by the influential elite.
Again, the compromise by government officials and lack of political will are impairing effective and urban renewal. To rescue the deplorable situation, there must be paradigm shift in the ways and manners we do things. To this end, recalibrating physical planning development in Nigeria requires a shift from traditional, paper-based master plans to dynamic, integrated, and participatory systems. To actualize this, the following prerequisites must occur. Our planning laws must envisage sustainability ad resilience. Planning must integrate environmental safeguards, renewable energy, and climate adaptation. It must not only be equitable but inclusive. Planning must address housing affordability, slum upgrading, and accessibility for vulnerable populations. Integrated regionalism is also key in resuscitating our battered physical development.
Our development must transcend city boundaries into rural and urban economies integration. The new planning concept must be technology-driven. GIS, satellite mapping, and big data analytics should replace obsolete manual methods. Lagos is assuming leadership amongst the states in this regard. Participatory Governance in planning is another key component that must be embraced. Although in some of the States legislations, there is provision for this but most times never observed nor complied with. Hardly are stakeholders consulted in planning schemes. Citizens, civil society, and professional bodies must be central to planning decisions. All the above must result into legal and institutional reforms. As a matter of urgency, the country must revisit the Land Use Act to democratize land access and curb executive abuse and politicization.
Similarly, the Urban and Regional Planning Laws as earlier canvassed, should be updated to reflect modern realities, with stricter penalties for non-compliance and clearer roles for local governments. The institutions responsible for administration and enforcement must be strengthened. Agencies saddled with the engagements, both at the states and local planning authorities levels, must be professionalized, adequately funded, and insulated from political manipulation. Coordination mechanisms among them should be institutionalized. Urban renewal and slum upgrading must be aggressively pursued.
Instead of demolitions and neglecting the slums, Nigeria should adopt inclusive slum upgrading strategies, providing infrastructure, tenure security, and community facilities in line with UN-Habitat’s best practices. This is the progressive way to go. Promotion of smart cities and digital infrastructure is crucial. Urban centres like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt must embrace smart city initiatives such as intelligent traffic management, e-permit systems, digital monitoring of land use, and predictive urban modelling. I know, to a certain extent, that Lagos and Abuja are on course in this regard but only need to ramp it up. Balanced development requires strengthening of regional economic hubs, effective land-use zoning, and development corridors that link agriculture, industry and markets.
This, as of necessity, would equally signify the need for the control of noise level of each area. As earlier remarked, proper planning demands incorporation of climate -sensitive responses. Flood-prone cities such as Lagos must integrate blue-green infrastructure like wetlands, retention ponds, and coastal protection systems. Regrettably, all these are being daily abused through indiscriminate reclamation of wetlands as well as massive deforestation. Desertification-prone areas should implement green belts and reforestation initiatives such as the tree planting initiatives. Since my days as the Commissioner in charge of the environment in Lagos State, I have facilitated the legislation on this. Awareness campaigns, civic education, and citizen feedback platforms are necessary to build compliance and community ownership of plans.
As observed above, although Lagos State and Abuja have made some progress, yet they still battle illegal developments which dot the areas, the bane of which I suspect are compromises, enforcement inconsistency and politicization. Abuja Master Plan was once celebrated but has now suffered distortions from political interests. The lesson derivable from this is that the plans made must be sacred documents immune to arbitrary alteration. They must be insulated from abuses. It gladdens my heart to see Lagos State emulate Singapore with its discipline while I learnt that Rwanda is another great example where laws, technology, and political will converge to create functional urban spaces.
It won’t therefore be a bad idea if that is emulated and embraced too. Of concern to me is the role of the professional stakeholders. Urban planners, architects, surveyors, and environmentalists must reclaim their role as guardians of urban order. Academic institutions should provide cutting-edge research, while professional associations like the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) must advocate stronger policies and accountability. Recalibrating physical planning development in Nigeria is an urgent national project. It requires political will, institutional reforms, technological innovation, and citizen participation.
Without this recalibration, Nigerian cities risk descending into unmanageable chaos marked by slums, traffic paralysis, flooding, heath impairment and infrastructural decay. With it, however, Nigeria can build sustainable, resilient, and inclusive cities that support economic growth, environmental balance, and human well-being. The Yoruba proverb says, “Ile la ti n ko eso r’ode”—“charity begins at home.” If Nigeria gets physical planning right, every other dimension of development will find order and direction.
Source: Thenewsnow
