The Authority of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has urged members of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners to help in tackling the brazen abuses of the Abuja’s Master Plan, by adhering to its professional ethics.
This appeal was made in Abuja, by the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Ikharo Attah when he addressed members of the Institute during a roundtable discussion on “Land Use Change and Challenges of Abuja Master Plan Implementation” to mark the annual week.
Attah said that Town Planners’ roles were very critical to the development and sustainance of a growing capital city, like Abuja, and must be taken very seriously.
He noted that the integrity of the Abuja’s Master Plan wouldn’t have been gravelly altered, had the Town Planners remained faithful to their professional ethics.
Attah explained that FCT Ministers have given ample opportunities to the coordinator of Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, Umar Shaibu and the Director Development Control, Muktar Galadima who are members of the Institute, to freely work for the preservation of the Master plan.
While he blamed most of the contraventions of Abuja’s urban and regional planning, illegalities and even indiscriminate Change of land use in Abuja to Town Planners who compromised standards, he vowed that the administration would remain committed to fighting every threat to its development agenda.
Attah said, “Town planners’ roles are very critical and FCTA takes them as key components. If alterations will happen in the city, they are the ones that may be approached by those who want to distort the plans.
“FCTA is making the appeal to them, to stand by their professional ethics and also see themselves as being key to Abuja project.
“We are appealing to them to live up to their ethics and do not compromise, but work hard and ensure they protect the Master Plan in its entirety”, he added.
Also speaking, the Director of FCTA Development Control, Muktar Galadima blamed members of the Institute for the abuse of Abuja’s Master Plan.
Galadima who regretted that some members of the profession were selling their conscience for some self selfish ends, also appealed to Town Planners to stop abusing their professional ethics.
Galadima said, “to a large extent, Town Planners have been privileged and trusted with the responsibility of planning, coordinating and managing of the FCC and FCT, incidentally, some of us are performing below expectations.
“Many infractions is supposed to have been identified and nipped in the board, but they looked away from them. It is really unfortunate and that is why I feel pained, because a day will come and our children will ask us that such responsibility was given to our position, but look at what you have done.
“So that is why I said that some of the problems in the city is caused by some us, the Town Planners”.
In his contribution, the Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, FCT Chapter, Mustapha Mudir, who acknowledged that there were few members who have forsaken their professional ethics, also appealed to their conscience to remember that their actions affects lives and refrain from anything that could jeopardise human existence.
According to him, “We have tried two cases of people we suspected to have compromised our professional ethics and they have faced the music”.
Emmanuel Ukoh
