Develop Resettlement Strategies Before Demolition, NITP Urges Govt
Town planners across States of the Federation have demanded the development of resettlement strategies before embarking on demolition activities in the country.
They made their demands known at a retreat organized by the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) for chapter chairmen, general secretaries and public relations secretaries in Abuja.
The town planners condemned the attitude of government over recent demolition cases in the country, noting that it has not only rendered many Nigerians homeless, but also plunged many into fear of uncertainties.
According to the President of the NITP, Mr. Toyin Ayinde, who attributed the cause of past and recent demolitions to lack of strong public housing policy, more needs to be done in the country’s housing sector.
He added that due to bad governance, people result to self-help by making provisions for basic social needs, which the government often perceive as illegal, hence leading to demolition and forceful eviction.
Ayinde, while noting that Nigerians have never enjoyed the dividends of good governance, said in spite of the Nigeria’s poor leadership and its far-reaching effects, citizens still suffer undue demolitions without veritable and sustainable alternatives.
“Government’s policies are not well articulated especially in the area of public housing. There is no strong health and electricity policy; so, we find Nigerians doing self-help. When the government can’t help you, you will do self-help. You are not guaranteed of water provision, so what do we do? We create our own boreholes. These are the things that are bringing possibilities of demolition. This is because there are too many people involved in self-help and you can’t blame people doing it because the government is unable to live up to the expectations of the people”, he said.
He therefore, advocated for proactive measures in tackling the ugly trend, even as he also craved for good governance in the country.
His word: “we need to get the right people into government. The fact remains that Nigerians have never enjoyed good governance. As for those in government, where did they learn about governance? They haven’t had it. The reason we are seeing different kinds of housing is because there is no public housing. When you go to oversea countries, you will see estates and structures built by the government with the same shape and height because it is just one organization building the structures and people would subscribe to it. but in Nigeria, no organization is building or what they are building is so insufficient and your landlord has asked you to quit; what else would you do if not look for your own land? You don’t have much money, then you build a bungalow.
We are doing too much of self-help. We are not living as a community but as individuals. That is a problem Nigeria has. We must develop a nation because currently, we have no nation. We just have a connection of individuals. We must rediscover ourselves. This national conference that we said we are not going to hold; we must hold it. Nations don’t get established by chance but through effective planning and policies.”
Ayinde ended by saying “people should be sent to school of governance. What we think in Nigeria is that when you are in government, you think it is about you, your family, and a few people. How will government solve this problem? Government has to plan. Anytime you have a limited resource, the only way to manage it is to plan it. Government should ensure that before people are displaced of their residence, a solid resettlement measure must be put in place to prevent greater problems.”
#Resettlement #Demolition #NITP #Town Planners
