On-the-poor-city-town-planning-in-delta-state-a-reflection-of-failed-governments

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa
 

Churchill Amagada, Commissioner for Lands & Survey
 

Arthur Akpowowo, Commissioner for Urban Renewal
 
ON THE POOR CITY/TOWN PLANNING IN DELTA STATE – A REFLECTION OF FAILED GOVERNMENTS
It is appalling to note that, despite the reported existence of supposed master plans for urban development in Delta State, there are evidently no legal instruments of “Development Control” in Delta State for years, and still counting. As such, every dick and harry, once you have the money; can buy land wherever they like, and erect whatever they like – having been able to secure, often times through the back door, the required approvals from Government agencies/ministries. 
The dangers of having inappropriately planned or distorted master plans of cities are unimaginable. That is why it is a big deal in developed countries like the UK, where they have not only controlled their urban development over hundreds of decades, they have also ensured that some areas of their cities are “strictly reserved” as Parks and Public Gardens for Tourists and the citizens relaxation spots.
There are many Beautiful Parks, Urban Gardens and Green Spaces in the city of London alone. According to Wikipedia, in the city of London alone, there are Eight Royal Parks, Nine Garden Squares, Five Council Parks, Two Lavander Fields, about 15 Other Green Spaces and 33 Greenways. It is believed that about 47% of London is Green Space. Some of the Parks include the Hyde Park, Richmond Park (known as the largest Royal Park), Holland Park, Kensington Gardens, Fulham Palace Garden, Japanese Roof Garden, Clissold Park, Hamstead Heath Park, King Henry's Walk Garden, Crystal Palace Park Maze, St. George's Garden, Keats House Garden, Maryfield Lavender Garden (filled with Lilacs flowers), Ravenscout Park Walled, St. John's Lodge Garden, Painshill Park, Regent Park, Blackheath Open Garden, Dulwich Garden & Park, etc.
Most of these Parks and Gardens, like the Blackheath Open Garden and the Clapham Common Park in London for instance, have been in existence for many years and have remained intact. London is today still one of the oldest cities in the world and yet, the Royal Family and The Queen of England have not built any of their mansions on these places, neither does it seem like they would in the future. Also, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), members of Parliament in the UK, Elites and Political leaders in the UK dare not alter these public Gardens and Parks in London to build anything on any of them. No matter the connection one has, you dare not. These public Parks in UK are daily maintained, and highly secured. There is no “big man” or “Politician” that has built any mansion on them. And no ‘town planning official’ that have altered these Parks/Gardens for their personal gains, like we see happen in Delta State. No rich man can influence the officials in UK to buy even a plot of land for his private house or even the Government House on these reserved public spaces in London, UK.
But here in Nigeria and in Delta State, it is a different thing altogether. Looking at Delta State, where exactly can we point to say that is a Public Park or Garden? Also, in the whole of Delta State, we can only boast of two shopping malls (Shoprite) – one in Asaba and the other in Effurun-Warri. Whereas, there are over 40 Shopping Centers in the city of London alone. Westfield Stratford city Shopping Mall for instance, is now one of the largest shopping centres in Europe, with the opening of a 600million Pounds extension. The 740,000 square foot expansion of Stratford city in London, has increased the overall size of the said shopping center to 2.6 million square meters, to overtake many shopping centres in Europe. If London, an old city could still have room for city expansion, why can’t Delta State cities have room for the expansion of basic infrastructure?  In the 70s and 80s, there was a golf course field area in Warri GRA, but the Delta State politicians and “big men” have built private mansions in that place. It used to be a Greenfield area with expanse of green land.
These are part of the side attractions that make people to feel secured and relaxed whenever they travel to the UK for vacation or for businesses. But here in Nigeria, specifically in Delta State, the nefarious act of approving, and certification of inappropriate structural plans of cities over the years have created a whole lot of problems for all. Such problems range from flooding, which is occasional by blocked natural waterways and complicated by inadequate and disorganized network of drainage systems; blocked link-roads; inappropriate disposal and management of public wastes; disorganized and haphazard location/building of houses, security challenges, etc. 
On countless occasions, we have urged past and present Delta State Governments to take the issue of urban planning more seriously as a viable option for checking security challenges, managing public waste, attracting tourism, and providing jobs for Deltans. Today, the rate at which inhabitants of Delta State are living in areas that are not habitable, thereby causing security and flooding challenges, and other stated issues, call for urgent concern. Human settlement should be prioritized and carried out with a plan. Urban/Town planning is more than mere waiting for one’s house plans to be approved by the relevant Government agencies, often times after they have collected bribes from such a property developer. That practice will only create more problems for all and sundry. There are also no plans for new infrastructures to be put in place. Imagine in Ugboroke layout in Effurun-Warri for instance, where people just build their houses/structures to block entrance roads which connects other streets. Every street ought to be connected to each other. One does not need an expert to explain this. Approving houses/buildings to block natural water ways and major streets and roads, including the so-called approved houses around the Osubi airstrip near Warri, are all clear signs of a failing State Government.
Some few years ago, Chief Enoch Ogbo, a registered town planner, estate surveyor and valuer, expressed some vital points regarding the subject matter. While answering the question of whether there are master plans for the urban centers and towns in Delta State, Ogbo noted that: “Even the Ibori Administration prepared a Master Plan for Warri-Effurun and its environs in 2000. Unfortunately, there was no public participation during the preparation of the document and so it lacks the “legal requirements” as envisaged in the extant law. Even more importantly there has been no attempt to implement or review the plan, which has become obsolete. The core area of Asaba has a plan but it would appear it has been bastardized and mutilated. Unfortunately, in the case of the core areas of Asaba, no sanity has been restored. There is, however, no master plan covering the whole of Asaba, the (supposed) capital of the state, let alone the other urban cities of Delta State. The Ministry officials will tell you that they have prepared Master Plans “in-house” for certain towns but these are not made public, nor subjected to public participation, so we do not know if these claims are true or not. The bottom line is that there are no legal instruments of development control throughout the state. In other words, there is no effective town-planning going on in the State.
Today, the environment around the Osubi Airstrip near Warri have been encroached and taken over by so-called “big men” in the State. It is absolutely appalling and completely out of place to observe how Houses and different structures were built around the said Osubi Airport near Warri. And one begins to wonder how the relevant authorities of the Delta State Ministry of Town Planning & Urban Development have been comfortable in approving such structures and “erecting” all sorts of illegal structures in the State. Are they not aware that the “Airport environment” must be highly protected and regulated for health and safety reasons?
In the city of London alone, there are Five (5) Major Airports which includes: London City Airport, London Gatwick Airport, London Heathrow Airport, London Luton Airport and London Stansted Airport. The London Heathrow Airport is by far the largest of London's airports and considered the main gateway into the United Kingdom for non-European visitors. Heathrow Airport has five terminals and two parallel runways. Though, due to the location in London's western suburbs, Heathrow has had trouble trying to expand, with various expansion projects being cancelled until on 25 October 2016 when a new northwest runway and terminal was approved by the Government. In April 2012, Heathrow announced that for the first time in history it handled 70 million passengers in a calendar year, making it the Third busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger numbers, after Atlanta and Beijing. It also comes second behind Dubai International Airport in the list of the busiest airport in the world in terms of international passenger numbers, as well as being the busiest airport in Europe by total passenger numbers. Heathrow serves six continents around the world, and is the base for the flag carrier British Airways in Terminal 5. While it also serves short-haul flights, Heathrow is London's long-distance hub and is the most popular arrival point for flights from the United States of America, with 13 million passengers. But what is most important about these facts is that you do not see any sort of encroachment by the British or government officials building any private structures around any of these Airports in London. But here in Delta State, the Osubi Airstrip and its surroundings have been invaded by big men who have built their houses on it.
Apart from regulations restricting the limit and height of buildings around any Airport to avoid airplanes from having obstructions during landings and flight take-offs, anyone who has ever lived under a flight path or airport environment will tell you that the “constant din of jet engines” is more than enough to raise one’s blood pressure. In fact, researchers in UK have warned that there are real health risks associated with aircraft noise. To now see Houses being erected around the Osubi Airport near Warri, simply suggests that the relevant authorities of the State’s Ministry of Town Planning & Urban Development do not know their work. But they are obviously driven by parochial interests, greed and personal aggrandizement than the need to render people-oriented services to the State. The Delta State Ministry of Town Planning & Urban Development, rather than use the Delta State Master Plan for instance, to approve houses and infrastructural developments in cities of the State, they prefer to approve whatever that is brought before them by developers as long as their hands are greased with kick-backs. These officials in charge of Delta State Town planning, are nothing but corrupt and irresponsible public servants who have been allowed by past and present Delta State Governments to do whatever they please in the State’s development.
Even some of the well-planned parks that were existing during the colonial era have all been taken over by government officials and private individuals for their self-use. The ones designed by the colonial masters, for instance, in Obahor street, Warri, Delta State, have been converted to government offices and some parts sold to individuals use. In our younger days, when Gowon was Head of State and Ejoor/Ogbemudia were the Military administrators of the then Bendel State (now consisting of Delta and Edo States), we had a big Public Park with leisure and relaxation facilities like flowers, sitting areas and light stands to lit the place at night hours in Obahor street, Warri. But today, they have all been converted to offices and residential houses, one of which belongs to the Delta State Fire Service. The bottom line is that everybody is doing whatever pleases him or her and building structures at any place they like in Delta State. Simply because, there is evidently no legal instruments of “Development Control” in Delta State, and the Government, over the years, are either not interested in reviewing and re-planning existing established Town-planning policies/City Master plans, or they prefer to leave things as they are currently haphazardly done/structured, so as to create room for all kinds of corrupt practices in urban development.
Truth is, we need not to go to London or New York to learn about Urban/City planning. We believe, all that the Delta State Town Planning Authorities need to do is to go to Enugu State, and dust the City master plan files of Enugu State, which was designed by the Colonial Masters, and take a good look at it. The city of Enugu as we know it today is properly planned, and the old Enugu city streets are well-connected to one another. The master city plans for Enugu is there for any scholar to study. Another option is to go back and look at the old master plan of Delta State, which was designed by Felix Ibru’s administration in Delta State. Being a renowned architect, Felix Ibru designed Delta State cities and towns and the entire State, which Ibori ought to have used rather than design a new master plan for Delta States that Deltans are not even aware of. Felix Ibru’s master plan for the entire Delta State is still there, we believe, for the Delta State Urban/Town Planning Authorities to study and strictly use same to make our towns and cities befitting for modern habitation and tourist attraction. This can only happen if the said master plan is properly planned and followed. And again, corruption and personal greed by the relevant Government officials will derail it if a change of attitude is not adopted by them towards making our Delta State towns/cities what they ought to be.
The Delta State Government needs not to go far to learn how to develop cities. They should start by going back to the drawing board of what has been made available here, then visit Delta State cities and reopen the streets to inter connect them. They can still do something if the Governor is willing, and really wants to work. Most of the streets and roads in Okumagba layout for instance, are all connected to one another. They need to ensure that the new layouts like Ugboroke, Ekpan, etc., are connected to one another. The Bendel Estate, Effurun is connected to one another. All the streets there are connected. They should start working right now. They do not need to go to Japan, Dubai, London, New York, etc., before they do what is expected of them. This is also not an excuse for them to go on their usual merry trips abroad in name of trying to study city master plans. They have all they need to learn from here in Nigeria. Lagos State, is another good example of where leaders with foresight and vision were able to lay down a solid foundation for Lagos to become a modern metropolitan city to reckon with. All the Banana Island, Eko Atlantic, Lekki Phase One and Lekki Phase 2, etc., that we hear of today, were someone’s idea. There is nothing that should stop the Delta State Government from doing same.
 
 
 
 
Zik Gbemre.
 

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