As part of the process for the preparation of the Lagos State Urban Development Policy, technocrats in the state public service and experts in various fields on Tuesday converged at the Ostra Hotel, Alausa Central Business District, to set the right agenda for the proposed policy.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Engr. Tayo Bamgbose-Martins told the workshop that the ongoing preparation of the policy was synonymous with the state’s drive to achieve a sustainable built environment that would be the pride of all.
The proposed policy covers 30 years from 2023-2053 with the aim of creating inclusive cities through sound socio-economic foundations.
He said: “The Lagos State Urban Development Policy, when in place, will set the right tone for the development of Lagos State while taking cognisance of all planning index”.
Bamgbose-Martins, who described the Agenda-Setting workshop, as an appropriate mileage in the step to bequeath a blueprint for the management of the built environment sector in the state, urged participants to give critical inputs to enrich the final outcome and promote ownership of the policy.
He averred that the proposed policy would complement other notable initiatives of the state government to revamp the physical planning sector and birth a 21st-Century Lagos Economy.
“It is my belief that to give the much-deserved progress in the system, the Lagos State Urban Development Policy will reinforce the new initiatives of involving private professionals in regulatory activities in Physical Planning through the Certified Accreditor Programme (CAP) and the Certified Structural Integrity Programme (CSIP)”, he said.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS and Planning Matters, Dr. Olajide Babatunde said that the Urban Development Policy was necessary to address growing urbanisation and attendant consequences, stressing that it would serve as the bedrock of city planning to accommodate the socio-economic and infrastructural development of Lagos State.
The former President of Nigeria Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Toyin Ayinde; the National President of the Association of Town Planning Consultants, Muyiwa Adelu; and the Project Director, Arctic Infrastructure, Lookman Oshodi called for a painstaking process that would produce an enduring policy, comparable to what is obtainable in other climes.
The Chairman of the Technical Committee on the policy preparation, Adekunle Salami recalled that the assignment to prepare an urban development blueprint for the state commenced in July 2021 with the approval Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“We have since covered many grounds, including the review of the United Nations Habitat’s concept note on the Lagos State Urban Development Policy, stakeholders engagement and advocacy, baseline assessment visits and requests for memoranda as well as the review of the same, among others”, he said.
Others, who spoke at the event, include the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Engr. Oluwole Sotire; state NITP chairman, Tayo Awomosu and National Chairman of Women in Town Planning, Riskat Bello.
Also present at the event were the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Gbolahan Toriola; General Manager, Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, Ms Ajibike Shomade; General Manager of the state Building Control Agency, Arc. Gbolahan Oki; and General Manager of the state Planning and Environmental Monitoring Authority, Daisi Oso.
