About 139 town planners have been inducted by its regulatory body, Town Planners Registration Council (TOPREC) and charged to uphold the highest professional standard.
Speaking at the investiture ceremony in Abuja, TOPREC President, Prof. Olayiwola Egunjobi urged the inductees to allow code of professional conduct and practice regulations guide them at all times.
Egunjobi noted that the induction is tailored to not only enable them understand the ‘Dos and don’t’ of the profession and expectations on the job, but to build confidence and contribute more effectively wherever they find themselves.
He said, “The new inductees have successfully passed both the written and oral examinations. This brings the total registered town planners till date to 4,753 while those that are register-able stand at over 3,000.
The milestone that is being achieved is an attestation from the Council to having been properly trained to prepare you for the challenges of practice. Those of you who have been involved with the daily operations of Urban and regional planning since you started work, must have realised that you are now in a different world and therefore, your activities should now reflect the thinking of the new world in which you have found yourself”.
In a message to the occasion, the National President Of Nigerian Institute Of Town Planners (NITP) Lekwa Ezutah advised the young professionals never to allow the desire to be rich within a short time becloud opportunity of enjoying the benefits of mentorship and excellence in practice stressing that they must practice responsibly and fulfill all obligations to the Institute.
Meanwhile, NITP has disclosed plans to hold the maiden edition of its ‘Green Cities Summit’. The event themed, “Brown to green: enhancing wellness and livability”, would take place this month at Central Bank International Training Institute, Abuja.
According to the institute’s first Vice President, Mr. Toyin Ayinde, who spoke during a press conference in Lagos, the summit will bring together stakeholders from various sectors of the economy and groups, including multilateral bodies to discuss and brainstorm on the key challenges confronting the urban environment.
Ayinde who is a former Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, noted that majority of the country’s cities do not reflect best practises of town planning because the various stakeholders involved have failed in their roles.
The chairman of the summit committee, Mr. Moses Ogunleye said the outcome of the programme would serve as core advisory for government and other key players in taking decisions or actions that would make cities and towns in Nigeria most friendly, effectively green and livable at all times.
Source: guardianng
