By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has decried the failure of most States to adopt and implement the Urban and Regional Planning Law (Decree 88 of 1992, Cap. 138 LFN 2004) more than 30 years after its passage, calling it a major setback to Nigeria’s quest for orderly and sustainable urban growth.
This was contained in a statement issued by Special Assistant to the Minister (Media & Strategy), Mark Chieshe.
Speaking at the National Colloquium on the implementation of the Urban and Regional Planning Law, organised by the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) in Abuja, the Minister expressed concern that only two States, including Katsina, have domesticated the landmark legislation since its enactment in 1992.
“It is regrettable that more than three decades after the promulgation of this progressive law, only two States, including my home State of Katsina, have adopted and operationalised it. This has contributed to the uncoordinated growth of our cities, the proliferation of informal settlements, and widening gaps between planning ideals and urban realities,” Dangiwa stated.
He commended the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners for convening the colloquium, describing it as timely and essential for national reflection on how to revitalise planning practice as a tool for sustainable development.
The Minister explained that the 1992 Urban and Regional Planning Law was a bold reform that replaced the obsolete 1946 Town and Country Planning Law providing for the first time, a comprehensive framework for land use and physical development across all tiers of government.
However, he lamented that weak institutional capacity, inadequate manpower, poor intergovernmental coordination, and low public awareness have hindered its implementation.
