Host – Hello good morning and many thanks for joining us for yet another edition of your neighborhood and you. Today again we have a guest in the studio alongside my sponsor. A very good morning to you sir.
Sponsor – Good Morning Comfort, how are you?
Host – I am very well, thank you. How has been the week so far?
Sponsor – We can’t complain, all glory to God
Host – What do you have to say to our listeners just before we introduce the guest? What should they be expecting?
Sponsor – They should be expecting to know more about Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, to know more about their environment and to know more about what town planning is all about.
Host – Alright. Thank you very much. You are welcome on board this morning, can we meet you ma?
Guest – Thank you moderator, I am Tpl (Mrs) Mariam A. Ologun FNITP, A retired director in Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development in 2018 and currently, I am the Chairman of Ondo state chapter of NITP.
Host – Alright, you became NITP Ondo State Chapter Chairman about a year ago, how was the Institute before you came in and how is it now?
Guest – I special kudos to my predecessors who have been driving the ship of leadership of the Institute in both efficacy and significant level that kept us knitted together. I have tried to build on this since I became the chairman of the Institute almost a year ago and all is going well.
Sponsor – Recently Ondo State government increased rate for development permit assessment, and in all indications, number of development permit applications have dropped drastically but number of constructions are not reducing, what’s the implication of this to physical planning?
Guest – Yes, there are a lot of implications. Ondo state government increased rate of developmental permit assessment by 600%, this is outrageous. Though it is government decision, I can only plead to the state government to reconsider the decision for the following reasons:
– The state government should know that physical planning is a social service. In all democracies and other civilized nations, urban and regional planning service and by extension, urban and regional planning ministries are social service oriented.
– The British government has never made the administration of urban and regional planning service a fund generating authority, this is because physical planning is essentially to ensure the control and the use of land as well as to promote physical development in the best interest of the public. Thus, it’s operation and administration does not focus on generation of income but ensuring orderliness, planned environment, promotion of business efficiency as well as stimulation of economic growth.
It is on this premise that I wish to respectfully bring to the attention of the state government that the increased rate of the development assessment permit is on the high side. In all indications, number of applications has dropped drastically and yet, like you said, number of constructions are not reducing. What are the implications like as you asked?
- Promotion of chaos, slum and haphazard development, thus the need to consider reversing to 200% increase rate for development permit assessment.
Host – Thanks you for answering that question beautifully. Based on the last question that our sponsor asked you, what has your Institute done or what have they been doing when they heard about the increment of this fee? What steps are you taking to ensure that you return normalcy to the issue on ground?
Guest – We went to the Commissioner of Physical Planning and Urban Development and told him to be our mouthpiece to the governor, that the increment is outrageous. He said it’s a policy and we know that government policy is not easily reversed but I know that Mr Governor has the love of the populace in mind and I know that something will be done.
Sponsor – Thank you very much ma, as an Urban Planners, we manage cities/towns and villages. Why is it that they are the least known profession in the built environment? What’s the Institute doing about this?
Guest – Aggressive advocacy but why is it so? This is because urban planning is more of public and social service oriented like I said. Most of our activities radiate in the government ministries, that’s why we are not as popular as the architects that draw plans, or the lawyers that follows people to court or the engineers that supervise buildings, especially we are not as popular as the surveyors who surveys land and beacon it. Therefore, the public do not like corrective measures thus they tend to avoid town planners. They see town planners as not relevant and because we are not like police that can arrest them, even though at times when they prove tough, we do. Most institutions do believe that we are not relevant to the society but just to ministries. They don’t know that town planners can defend them land issues and physical planning at any time. So, the work of town planners is misinterpreted. We will continue in our aggressive advocacy.
Host – Thank you very much there. We have another question for you, ATOPCON executives were inaugurated last week, what are the benefits of this to practicing planners?
Guest – Thank you for that question. The association of town planning consultants of Nigeria is an association dedicated to high standard of urban and regional planning consultancy in Nigeria, this association shall usher in new and better era in handling planning jobs. The practicing town planners shall embark on having standard operations in their firms in the state, ATOPCON has come on board to correct the misgiving about town planning consultancy. As consultants, we begin to dish out helps to federal, state and local government in achieving their developmental goals. This is one of the benefit of ATOPCON coming into Ondo state.
Sponsor – Thank you very much ma, when you look at it very well ma, you will know that there are two types of members, you have some that are practicing planners and some that are government staffs, so can you say the relationship between these two sets of your member cordial?
Guest – The difference is that you can’t be a practicing planner and be able to consult. There are a lot of conditions you have to fulfil to be a consultant, this practicing town planners are called study groups because there are a lot of things they ought to have done maybe their firm registration, TOPREC registration before they will now apply for ATOPCON registration. When you are registered at ATOPCON, your firm is vaster, there is no type of jobs you cannot get from the federal government. When you are a practitioner, you’re limited to getting plans, moving to the ministry to help process plans. That’s just it.
Sponsor – I understand but what I am trying to ask is, what is the relationship between either consultants or the ATOPCON members and their counterparts in the Ministry?
Guest – We collaborate together because, there is no plan that will be approved without the endorsement of a town planner and before you can endorse any plan you must be a registered ATOPCON or practitioner in the state. There are no type of plan that will go through the tables for approval that will not have the endorsement of a town planner, so that’s just the relationship that we have and at times if they have work like a master plan, urban renewal or whatever, they can come to the ATOPCON registered members in the state who can be able to deliver more. The relationship is cordial.
Sponsor – Thank you ma. As a retired civil servant, former director for that matter and now a practicing town planner, which one is more profitable?
Guest – They are different, then as a civil servant, I was answerable to the government and I am not to be heard. If I am there now I won’t be able to grant this interview, things will be happening and I will just be looking like ‘mumu’ but now I can be heard and I think being a practicing town planner and out of that place, I feel better because I have my own time to do a lot of things that I want to do. On profitability, that one has regular income, this one you have to do a lot of work before you can get. It’s not even comparable as such, for time and rest. I believe now is more profitable because I can choose what to do at any time.
Sponsor – But whatever you do now still rest on the approval of some of you junior officers then…
Guest – It’s not like when I was there, you can be called from the government house but now it’s not like that. I feel better and fulfilled.
Host – Wow that’s a nice one there, we hope our listeners can learn something from you. We have our next question for you. Certificate Of Occupancy has been made mandatory as part of documents to be submitted for development permit application, what is the stand of NITP about this?
Guest – The directive of Ondo state government to enforce the use of Certificate of Occupancy as prerequisite for approval of plans in the state is alien to private land and developers of private land properties, it needs to be reviewed, that’s our view. Now, the directive which has already been communicated to Ondo State Property and Development Corporation for implementation, their own is a government set up, they use CofO already but the enforcement in the State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development calls for caution, further consultations and review with the stakeholders in the best interest of the people of Ondo state. Physical planning is social service oriented like I have said before, it’s never a fund-raising authority.
I perceived that they put the CofO as a prerequisite for approval is because maybe the government wants to generate revenue and this is because physical planning services is essential to ensure that there is control of use of your land as well as to promote physical development in the best interest of the people, not generating revenue by forcing CofO upon us. The operation and administration does not focus on generation of income but ensuring orderliness, planned environment, promotion of business efficiency as well as stimulation of economic growth.
Bringing CofO in has a lot of implication. It is based on the above that we wish to respectfully bring to the attention of the State Government that the proposed implementation of the submission of CofO as a precondition for plan approval will do more harm than good for the following reasons: one, the fact there is that, the procedure for collection of CofO even under the Home Charter Amnesty Program will take a minimum of 60 days for a CofO to be delivered all things being equal. This implies that all applications will be delayed for a minimum of 60 days before it can go through town planning procedure which will take another 30 days minimum all things been equal, this will be a very big setback to the policy of the government of Ondo state on the ease of doing business in the state.
The government and NITP Ondo state chapter have been partners in progress and this partnership has every time translated to great benefits for the Ministry and the practicing town planners and entire people of Ondo state.
The submission of CofO as prerequisite for plan approval will lead to drops in submission of plans by the people of Ondo state and this policy will reduce application submission to less than 10%. Currently, the use of tax clearance and recently, implementation in the ministry hike of government fees that started in March 2022 has greatly reduced plan submission drastically and if this policy is abducted, the Ministry will not only record low application but the ministry’s contribution to the state internally generated revenue will near zero. Already it’s getting to that level now, so the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development has been struggling to monitor and control development in Ondo state. I want the government to know through the limited personnel and monitoring tools, the low capacity will eventually promote many people’s noncompliance in the submission of plans for approval. In the short and long run, it will promote chaos, slum development in the state. If the policy is allowed to happen, the economy and the social cost of the future will not be in the best interest of the Ondo people.
Sponsor – Thank you very much ma, we were discussing Certificate of Occupancy as part of the document to be submitted for development permit application before the break. You have made your stand known to the Ministry, assuming they don’t answer or reply you, what next? Are you ready to sue the government?
Guest – We cannot sue the government, we will continue to plead, I believe they have listening ears because the administration of Gov. Akeredolu is known to be a very democratic government. It is a government founded on social inclusion and economic for all and I believe he is going to listen to this.
Sponsor – Assuming he refuses to listen, what next? The Institute must do something to stop this policy.
Guest – We will continue to go on advocacy, we will continue to press button. Like I said, the governor listens to professionals and I believe that after this, he might call us. There should be a review, have a stakeholders meeting that will throw more light on what he is doing and look into our existing laws and regulations even though it’s been reviewed now.
Host – Alright, moving on to the next question, what are your plans for NITP in this coming year?
Guest – In fact, I have outline programs and events without even know that I am already one year in office. Well this includes completion of the next phase of our building project, ensuring the enactment of the planning law gazette and implementation, publicity of our activities and profession through radio, television programs as relate to physical planning issues among others.
Host – Alright, thank you so much. Those are the words of Tpl Mariam Ologun FNITP, a retired director from MPPUD and currently the chairman of NITP Ondo state chapter. Our sponsor, what do you have to say to our guest and our listeners out there.
Sponsor – I want to say thank you very much ma, we called you and you answered us within a short period of time, we appreciate you ma
Guest – You’re welcome
Sponsor – To our listeners at home, till next week when we bring another guest from another field to shed light on issues concerning the environment.
Host – Till next week