YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD AND YOU.
On a new episode of Your Neighbourhood and you, a program dedicated to empowering and equipping the populace with vital information and knowledge bothering on the environment, town planning and land related issues, since it was the last episode for the year, the program did a recap of the topics that had been discussed all through the year 2022 with the show’s sponsor TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele.
Starting from the first edition where issue of proliferation of churches and gas stations in our neighbourhood was discussed. TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele referred to the show’s first guest of the year, TPL Adeniyi Johnson. He pointed that the latter had defined what Town Planning is, who a Town planner was, and the process of becoming a town planner. He said TPL Adeniyi Johnson also shed light on the issue Proliferation of churches and gas stations in our neighbourhood, saying the leaders are to blame, because of situations whereby, a petition has been written to complain about the issue and no solution is being provided and the government is being negligent about it. TPL Adeniyi Johnson also talked about citizen rights, pointing out that some citizens are not well educated on their rights, so they do not know when to stand up to defend themselves when these rights are being violated.
The second edition hosted Surveyor Mrs Funmilola Helen Fakorede, the present chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors, who said to surveyors “Surveyors, don’t sign your death warrant”. She also talked about CofO and of course land related issues. On this episode Surveyor Mrs Funmilola Helen Fakorede also talked about Surveying and geoinformatics. She said Surveying and geoinformatics deals with profession that measures acquired data, processed and unprocessed and she addressed the role of Surveyors in town planning. She addressed the citizens on how to differentiate quacks from real Surveyors and ways to eradicate them. She also doled out a warning to Surveyors that do not visit sites before giving an approval. She insisted Surveyors need to actually visit the site before giving an approval. TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele appreciated the presence of Surveyor Mrs Funmilola Helen Fakorede on the program. He said quacks don’t only exist in Surveying, he mentioned that they also exist in other professions. However, the problem he had with the NIS is that there are unregistered technicians with private offices, he said they should be under a registered surveyor, since they do not have the right to sign any official documents, as they still take these documents to a registered surveyor to sign. He said that unregistered surveyors, townplanners, architect should not have official offices. When asked what the government can do to enforce this, He said that is what the institute is for, that they have laws governing situations like this.
The third edition hosted Perm Sec. Bayo Phillips of Physical Planning and Urban Development who talked about HOCOS, he debunked the rumour that citizens used pictures of their buildings as a replacement for approved building plan to get their CofO. He said a picture can be submitted but that doesn’t replace the approved building plan for the building. The guest, Bayo Phillips addressed many issues as well. He said that there are two town planners who have been stationed with the Hocus and that citizens shouldn’t be afraid that the townplanners have been sidelined from the process.
The fourth edition hosted the Special Adviser to the Ondo State governor on environmental matters, Honourable Oseni Oyeniyi, who said “whatever you sow on the environment comes back to you”. He talked on the environmental summit on plastic pollution and management organised by his office. He talked about job creation avenue plastic waste recycling, that would provide, courtesy of what his office is planning in Ondo State. The issue of quarrying activities was mentioned, he stressed that the government is doing what it could, that they are monitoring the activities and working on how the pollution could be reduced. He talked on climate change, how it affects Ondo State and how we can curtail this. He said the planting of trees will be brought back. TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele mentioned that he attended a meeting on this in their office, and he could affirm that steps are being taken on the recycling project.
The fifth edition hosted a returning guest, Surveyor Mrs Funmilola Helen Fakorede, the present chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors, who said that Surveyors general approval is illegal. However, TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele mentioned that, presently it’s still a Surveyor general’s approval that’s being used in Ondo State.
On the sixth edition, the hosts talked about CofO as a prerequisite to the development permit application by government. The program hosted TPL Mariam Ologo FNITP, the chairman NITP Ondo State chapter. She talked about the increment of rates in getting a development permit and it’s implications to the people. She talked on the benefits of AOTPCON to practicing townplanners and the relationship that exists between practicing townplanners, AOTPCON and it’s counterparts in the ministries. She heard the CofO is a prerequisite to getting a development permit and she urged the government to reverse that. TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele Joseph also added that influential personnel in the field have also urged the government to change this decision, however their position is still the same and nothing has been done about it.
The seventh edition hosted TPL Osunsanmi Gbolabo FNITP, he is a influential personnel in NITP. He talked about the advocacy in town planning, the difference between that and public participation, he talked about how planning can be used to drive the practice of town planners for higher achievements. He also talked about Akure Master plan that had expired 22years ago and till date nothing had been done about it by the government. He also talked about how government developers and technicians are acting with impunity in the state.
The eight edition played host to Prince Adeduro Akinbola who said that Hocus has come to stay and that you should avoid middle men. He talked extensively on what Hocus is, and how it’s easy to process, he pointed out vital documents that are needed to get your CofO, and all the criteria that are needed to get your CofO.
A caller on the program wanted to know if the sponsor of the program, TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele Joseph could help in the purchase of a land, and if they could also help in settling of a dispute, in the caller’s case, he has a dispute with the previous landowner, to which the sponsor answered that, they can help in the purchase of a land, however they prefer to conduct background checks before doing this, to confirm the source of the land, avoid disputes from “omo onile” or supposed land owners and help in the successful purchase of the land.
The ninth edition of the program hosted TPL Osunsanmi Gbolabo who talked about the CofO as a condition for building plan approval and how it’ll cause haphazard development and promote illegal construction.
The tenth edition hosted two guests, TPL Olusa and TPL Sogbon who talked about physical planning that can help combat insecurities. TPL Olusa talked about similarities between Male and Female townplanners and why women should be more involved in town planning.
On the eleventh edition, TPL Adeniyi Johnson who expressed his disapproval about the CofO being a prerequisite to a building development permit, he gave the implications of the circular on the masses and he pointed out how it reduced the standard of living in the state. He said it will also affect the practitioners as well. He stressed that only Lagos and Kaduna has similar policy to that of Ondo state, but that of Kaduna is friendlier.
With that, the program thanked and wished the listeners a prosperous new year in advance.