The Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC) has called for stronger regulatory backing and increased government support to reposition town planning for sustainable urban development in the country.

The President of TOPREC, Valentine Ezenwa, in an interview on Wednesday in Abuja, said the absence of effective regulation created room for quackery, indiscriminate development and urban sprawl, all of which threaten safety, infrastructure and the environment.

He called for stronger support from government at all levels, particularly on funding for regulatory activities.

“TOPREC doesn’t get any subvention from the federal government again, and as a regulatory body, we have a whole lot of things to do with money.

“So, we are asking governments to look more into the subvention issue and see how they can support the activities of these regulatory bodies, including TOPREC,” he said.

The president said the council was set to deepen the digitisation of its operations and strengthen collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) to improve town planning regulation in the country.

He added that the council would build on the achievements of its predecessors and take the regulatory body to greater heights.

He said further digitisation of TOPREC’s activities would be prioritised, adding that stronger integration and collaboration with the professional body NITP would be pursued.

“The goal of this collaboration is to make TOPREC one of the best regulatory bodies in Nigeria.”

On the development of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Ezenwa said TOPREC, in collaboration with the NITP, was concerned about insinuation that the Abuja Master Plan had been compromised.

He stated that the professional body had set up a committee to examine areas of concern in the master plan, with the new TOPREC administration expected to support the initiative.

According to him, the objective is to identify the challenges affecting the implementation of the Abuja Master Plan and develop appropriate solutions to ensure that Abuja grows in line with best practices in town planning.

He said the committee’s report would provide a basis for engaging the government on the identified issues.

“We want to see how we can effectively deal with that and make Abuja develop in line with the best practice of town planning in Nigeria,” he said.

Speaking on his plans for members of the council, Mr Ezenwa said his administration would promote unity and inclusiveness, stressing that members had important roles to play in achieving his objectives.

He described TOPREC as a family, saying the council would operate on the principle of collective responsibility.

The president added that bringing members closer and ensuring that every hand was on deck would be central to the administration’s approach to leadership.

He expressed confidence that collective efforts would enable the council to strengthen its regulatory functions and contribute more effectively to sustainable urban development in Nigeria.

(NAN)