The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) has urged governmental bodies at all levels to empower women in the field by granting them leadership positions within Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
The National President, Mr. Nathaniel Atebije, made the call at the investiture of the National Chairman of the Association of Women Town Planners in Nigeria (AWTPN) in Abuja on Thursday.
Atebije said that the women town planners deserve recognition for leadership positions in governance, following the leadership capacity they have acquired and built over the years.
He argued that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had not had more than five women as Directors of Planning Institutions in the 48 years of its existence.
“This applies to almost all States and Federal agencies that have not given the female gender the opportunity to excel in their departments. Our women have come of age, let us give them the chance to manifest.
“Knowing the humanitarian and benevolent hearts of women, we call on agencies of government, international organisations to kindly collaborate with women in their intervention programmes in communities to ensure the promotion of a liveable world,” he said.
The president also called on communities to assist the government by employing the expertise of town planners, particularly women for the physical planning of their settlements.
In her inaugural speech, the National Chairman, AWTPN, Mrs Rekiyat Fache, said that the association would partner with relevant government agencies and critical stakeholders to move the group forward and contribute to national development.
Fache identified slum upgrading across the federation as one of the major planning interventions of the association.
She also noted that the changing dynamics in climate change require critical thinking and practical solutions to its causative factors.
According to her, her leadership will focus on tree planting as one of the mitigating measures against climate change, including sanitation exercises to clean major cities across the country.
“Similarly, our work plans within the stipulated period are tailored to suit solid waste management and alternative energy from fuel to gas,” she said.
The chairman of the occasion, Mr Isah Shuaibu, said that the investiture created an avenue to reflect on and celebrate the vital contribution of women to urban planning in the country.
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Shuaibu added that the event also symbolises the growing recognition and empowerment of women in shaping the urban fabric of the nation.
According to him, the investiture highlighted women’s indispensable role in promoting inclusive and equitable planning processes that respond to the diverse needs of communities.
The association also awarded some notable town planners and other critical stakeholders in the town planning sector.
One of the awardees, Dr Jummai Ahmadu, acting Director, Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, said that the expertise of women in town planning, if properly tapped, would contribute to restoring Abuja to a global city.
Ahmadu called on the women to work with FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike to ensure that Abuja takes its place as the pride city of the nation.
Another award recipient, Mr Mukhtar Galadima, Director, Development Control, FCT Administration, urged the new leaders of the association to embrace integrity, collaboration, and learning, which he described as enablers of success.
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