According to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme – UN Habitat – Nigeria can tackle its slum problem through adequate planning.
According to the UN Habitat Human Settlement Officer, Dr Odunbaku Omoh who spoke to africahousingnews on Thursday in Abuja during the Urban October and World Cities Day event organised by the Ministry of Works and Housing, adequate planning provides room for slum eradication if it considers all sectors and all factors.
‘’If you provide for housing in a planned settlement there is no how you will have squatter settlements because you will have title to land and regulation for building standards. So urban planning is the solution for not only eradication of slums but to avoid slum occurrence entirely,’’ she said.
In addressing urbanisation and its associated challenges, she said innovation is the surest strategy for all countries including Nigeria.
‘’Today which is October 31st is celebrated in every country as World Cities Day and it signifies innovation. It celebrates the urban sphere and to commemorate the urban world habitat day established years back and offers each country including Nigeria an opportunity to deliberate on urban issues.
‘’Currently, more than 50 percent of global population live in urban centres, so while you are planning you should also realise that there is going to be an increase due to migration. So we should plan for the future. We ought to be proactive. Most times we plan for the current generation forgetting that there should be a projection ahead and provision for expansion,’’ she said.
Urbanization provides the potential for new forms of social inclusion, including greater equality, access to services and new opportunities, and engagement and mobilization that reflects the diversity of cities, countries and the globe. Yet too often this is not the shape of urban development. Inequality and exclusion abound, often at rates greater than the national average, at the expense of sustainable development that delivers for all.
Urban October was launched by UN-Habitat in 2014 to emphasize the world’s urban challenges and engage the international community towards the New Urban Agenda.
