Correct Abuja Master Plan Abuses  -FCTA Tasks Town Planners

By: Wisdom Acka

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has urged members of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners to help in tackling flagrant abuses of the Abuja Master Plan by adhering to ethics of their profession.

This appeal was made on Thursday in Abuja by the Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah when he addressed members of the Institute during a Roundtable Discussion on “Land Use Change and Challenges of Abuja Master Plan Implementation” to mark the annual week. 

Attah said that Town Planners’ roles were  very critical to the development and sustainance of a growing capital city, like Abuja, and must be taken very seriously. 

He noted that the integrity of the Abuja’s Master Plan wouldn’t have been gravelly altered, had the Town Planners remained faithful to their professional ethics. 

Attah explained that FCT Ministers have given ample opportunities to the Coordinator of Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, Umar Shaibu and the Director Development Control, Muktar Galadima, who are members of the Institute, to freely  work for the preservation of the Abuja Master plan.

While he blamed most of the contraventions of Abuja’s urban and regional planning,  illegalities and  even indiscriminate Change of land use in Abuja to Town Planners who compromised standards, he vowed that the administration would remain committed to fighting every threat to its development agenda.

Attah said, “Town planners’  roles are very critical and FCTA takes them as key components.  If alterations will happen in the city, they are the ones that may be approached by those who want to  distort the plans.”

His words: “FCTA is making the appeal to them, to stand by their professional ethics and also see themselves as being key to Abuja project”. 

“We are appealing to them to live up to their ethics and do not compromise, but work hard and ensure they protect the Master Plan in its entirety”, he added. 

Also speaking at the occasion, the Director of FCTA Development Control, Muktar Galadima blamed members of the Institute for the abuses of the Abuja Master Plan. 

Galadima, who regretted that some members of the profession were selling off their consciousness for selfish ends, also appealed to Town Planners to stop abusing their professional ethics. 

He said: “To a large extent, Town Planners have been privileged and trusted  with the responsible of planning, coordinating and management of the Federal Capital City and the entire Territory, incidentally, some  of us are performing below expectations.”

“Many infractions is supposed to have been identified and nipped on the bud, but they looked away from them. It is really unfortunate, that is why I feel pained, because a day will come and our children will ask us that such responsibility was given to our position, but look at what you have done,” he added.

He restated: “So that is why I said that some of the problems in the city is caused by some us, the Town Planners”.

In his contribution, Chairman of Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, FCT Chapter, Mustapha Mudir, who acknowledged that there were few members who have forsaken their professional ethics, also  appealed to their conscience to remember that their actions affects lives and therefore, should refrain from anything that could jeopardise human existence. 

According to him, “We have tried two cases of people we suspected to have compromised our professional ethics and they have faced the music”.