On the first edition of 2023, it started with a review of Townplanning in 2022, of which TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele Joseph (Sponsor of the program) said it was “nothing to write home about”. He mentioned that in the year 2022, government released policies regarding granting of permits that were not so friendly to the citizens of the state. He mentioned that there was growth in the urban centers across the states but that the bottom-line was that the growth was not well co-ordinated. He also said there were no new urban and rural development policies. He also said that the place of new and meaningful policies cannot be overemphasised. “Without any articulate policy, it becomes difficult to effectively characterise or manage or improve our urban system and even the rural areas” TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele Joseph said. He pointed out that rural areas are being neglected, and he wonders what is going on in the rural areas if urban sectors are not properly co-ordinated.
He further mentioned that in 2022, petitions regarding physical planning were treated nonchalantly by the government officials. He pointed out that some ended in the files they were filed in. He however, mentioned that they are understaffed, as it is just 2 officers that are handling petitions across the state, which makes them busy.
Also in 2022, TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele mentioned that, the ministry of physical planning exhibited clear evidence of weak human capacity in terms of quantity and quality. He mentioned they are short-staffed, and that despite the recruitment of new staff, they still fall short and need more staff, as no efforts were made to beautify the urban centers. He referred to the era of Governor Mimiko, he said that during his time in office, he made sure that during the festive season, the state was beautified with planting of flowers and decorations were made to beautify these urban areas, however, that was not the case last year. He also mentioned the waste management office has been negligent of the environment that the weekly picking of refuse has been reduced to once a month.
When asked what he has to say to advise the Ondo State government on how to help keep the citizens safe, TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele Joseph said that there are policies that need to be reversed to rectify the problems the government has imposed on the citizens.
Still on the increment of assessment fee in 2022 and CofO as prerequisite to getting a development permit, TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele Joseph said, looking at the data, in 2020 and 2021 averagely there were about 700 layouts applications submitted, but comparing that to 2022 which had about 600 layouts applications submitted. He said that the numbers is going to drop this year due to the ongoing policy and increase in fees. Using Akure South as an example, he said in 2022 they recorded less than 15 applications in the last months of the year, if the local government where the governor’s office is located is recording such low figures, how much more the other local governments, not to talk of the state’s figures.
When asked on a lasting solution, he referred back to the earlier solution he gave, that the policies should be revisited, especially for residential buildings. He referred to a state like Lagos state where having a CofO is not a prerequisite to starting your construction, he said a temporary permit is given to the applicant, which allows coordinated construction to begin, during the duration of 90days, after which you must get your CofO, unlike in Ondo State where you need your CofO to start construction.
When asked if what you provide on your document as what you want to build, contradicts what you actually build, is there a penalty for such contradiction. He said he is not sure of that as he does not have access to the information.
On why planning law is not fully implemented in Ondo State, TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele Joseph said he really doesn’t know why planning law is not implemented in Ondo State, he expressed his interest in the program hosting the Commissioner of Physical Planning in Ondo State so they can hear from him. He said the government has nothing to lose if the law is being implemented as this means people will know their rights, do the right thing and know the penalties associated with an offence.
The guest for the episode, TPL Adeniyi Johnson, was asked to add his opinion on what 2022 meant for physical planning and what can be done in 2023. He said the last year was a turbulent one, with an increase in fees and new policies being introduced, however he is trusting God hoping the government will revise the policies so there can be creation of jobs. These policies are contradictory to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) combined with the sustainable development goal of creating shelter for everybody. The policy of no CofO is counterproductive, as it doesn’t help the government or the citizens or the electorate. Proof of this being the drop in numbers of the applications for building permits after the policy was introduced. He appeals to the government that such policy is not friendly to the citizens and that it contradicts the MDG goal of providing shelter for all. Also, the increment in the fees and the issue of tax clearance, he said the government has not given an opportunity for town planners to sit down and have a conversation, so they could help proffer solutions that will benefit everyone. He said that there is need for awareness for the citizens to educate them as some of them have no idea about these policies and that planning is dynamic so the policies and laws need to be reviewed for the general development of the community.
TPL Ogunseyi Ayodele Joseph agreed with what the guest had to say, he however said he’ll prefer if the policy is reviewed to benefit the residential owners alone as he believes citizens that want to build commercial buildings should have tax clearance and that they should be able to afford the fees in getting a CofO. He also said layout approval should be included in the application for any building permit, to avoid any issues with ‘omo onile’. He further added that the ministry needs more staff, he suggested having a resident townplanner, resident surveyor, resident builder or resident engineers.
He said that the program “Your Neighbourhood and You” is trying to have a program that advocates for individuals, the program will help create a relationship with landowners and resident associations in Akure and Ondo State, so they can help solve any planning problems and problems that cannot be handled by them will be forwarded to agencies that will help to proffer a solution.