Tpl Lekwa Ezutah is the president of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP). For him the Nigerian populace should indirectly be blamed for the country’s miserable position in the Environmental Livability Index because of their failure to demand a livable environment from their leaders. NKASIOBI OLUIKPE spoke with him. Excerpts:
Nigeria’s low income group who constitute more than 50 percent of its population cannot access/afford government’s supposedly social housing. What is your expert advice on how they can be housed?
Thank you for framing the question appropriately, ‘how they can be housed’. My take is that the housing problem has been approached from a wrong mindset. The approach has been that of making everyone a landlord and a house owner. How do you expect a minimum wage earner to own a house?
With a N10,000 (ten thousand naira) monthly repayment rate, it will take a Nigerian minimum wage earner 25 years to liquidate N3,000,000 (three million naira) mortgage. Can N3,000,000 secure a decent housing including the cost of land?
Attempts by government to provide the low income group with decent housing has always involved subsidy. Subsidy makes it attractive for the target group to dispose the houses by the end of the day, the populace does not benefit, they lose out!
I would advice that the focus be on ensuring that the low income group have access to affordable rental accommodation. Government should focus on providing the enabling environment and refrain from direct housing construction which has not been sustainable.
Studies have shown that there is a co-relationship between population explosion and urban management. As a town planning expert, what is your take on the situation of Nigeria’s borders and the uncontrolled influx of foreigners?
You are referring to population explosion adversely affecting urban management.
First and foremost we don’t have model city management framework in place, this is a fundamental problem. For efficient city management, there must be a management structure to co-ordinate the activities of the various agencies. Presently, we have fragmented agencies handling various aspects of city services without an appropriate body coordinating the agencies; Ministry of Works for roads; Water Board for water supply; Environmental Protection Agency for refuse disposal etc.
Population explosion in our cities is a product of ‘unplanned for’ rapid urbanization. The rate of population increase is greater than the rate of provision for both physical and social infrastructure. The regional development approach is recommended. This will help close the gap between urban and rural areas, thereby reducing the rate of migration into the cities.
Reduction in the influx of people into the cities will enhance our ability to match population increase with infrastructure provision.
Urban renewal exercises in Nigeria are termed a failure and greeted with disillusionment. How do you think government can get it right?
Urban Renewal can be approached through various ways: the Bulldozer approach; upgrading, rehabilitation and revitalization approaches. Based on experiences from all over, town planners now discourage the bulldozer approach which often results to slums being transferred from one part of the city to another part. Dislodged slum dwellers move into another area and generate another slum.
Having said that, I must add that, not much has been done in Nigeria in terms of urban renewal. We can’t readily cite an example of an urban renewal programme that has been initiated, planned and implemented. So there are no experiences of urban renewal exercises based on which we can term them failures.
Nigeria falls within a pathetic range in the Environmental Livability Index. Don’t you think town planners also share in the blame?
Livability does not happen by chance. It is a product of planning which is defined as ‘Action, based on forethought’. Livability is achieved first, by planning and faithful implementation of same. Appreciation of the purpose of physical planning will translate to town planners being given the opportunity to plan. It will also encourage our leaders to develop the political will necessary for plan implementation, including making budgetary provision.
If our livability index does not improve thereafter, then town planners should be blamed. For now blame the government directly and the people indirectly for not demanding provision of livable environment from their leaders as they would demand for hospital, schools, and the rest.
Majority of the structures of the Shagari/Jakande housing scheme, termed the only real social housing programme in the country, are currently in a very deplorable state. What do you advice to be done to them?
Rehabilitate them to increase the housing stock. This will help reduce the housing deficit no matter how insignificant. That’s a simple direct answer. However, I would advice that we first carryout a ‘post mortem’ of the programme. This will enable us determine what went wrong so as to take necessary steps to prevent their future recurrence.
Is it not possible for the Shagari/ Jakande social housing scheme to be replicated in this current dispensation?
It can be done. The Shagari/Jakande social housing scheme can be replicated, but first, we must find answers to why it was not sustainable. If it was sustainable the housing deficit may not have been so big today.
The programme was successful to the extent that housing units were delivered. On the other hand, not being sustainable may not be termed successful.
However, it is imperative the programme be reviewed from the conception to allocation stage: Was it the target populace that benefitted? Were the houses affordable? Did the design of the buildings satisfy the beneficiaries? All these should be considered with a view to effecting modifications where necessary. An appropriate management framework should be put in place for managing the estates to prevent their future dilapidation.
Poor land use planning process has been blamed as one of the reasons for increase in the number of slums in the country. What is the way out of the menace?
Is there serious land use planning going on? Expect few, our towns and cities have developed organically. Most governments in Nigeria think of physical planning only when they want to enhance their IGR. We pay lip service to planning, which like I said before is defined ‘as action based on forethought’. Like other ventures, to reap the benefits of planning, you must first invest in planning.
The dividend of investment in planning is livable environment which attracts investments. Investment will generate employment which in turn will generate income and improve the people’s standard of living. Enhanced income will in turn increase the people’s ability to pay taxes. This will boost government revenue.
We must return to the right procedure. The right procedure is to plan before development. We must prevent organic development. The areas where this approaches were adopted still reflect the best of our planning tradition, the Government Reservation Areas (GRA).
Except a few, our towns and cities are developing organically. Most Governments in Nigeria use planning for revenue generation purposes, they pay lip service to planning which like I said is defined as ‘action based on fore thought’. Like other activities you must first invest in planning to reap the benefits of planning. The product of planning is livable environment, which attracts investments. Investment generates employment and enhances income from which the government will derive income via taxes.
How realistic is the green initiative (green environment, green housing and green economy) in Nigeria?
The Green initiative is in our collective interest. It has been discovered that the rate at which mankind was going in the exploitation and use of her natural resources, the earth may not be able to sustain human existence. The effect of climate change is here with use.
The important point with respect to the green initiative should be creating public awareness; there should be a sustained campaign for same in our schools, markets, religious centers etc
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