‘Development before town planning cause of flooding in Nigerian’

Lagos: Prof. Kayode Oyesiku, a lecturer at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun has identified development before planning as the cause of flooding in most cities in Nigeria.

He said many cities and towns have developed before town planning was introduced to them.

Oyesiku in Lagos said that the ugly trend had made successive government to plan with problems instead of sorting out the problems before planning.

“The major challenge over the years is that development comes before town planning. There is no drainage; which direction drainages will move or of what quality and quantity.

“We must adopt renewal strategy as our town planning option which will cost trillions of naira, but the cost is less than that of human lives.

“This strategy must be adopted even if so many houses will be demolished, if we are to survive in two years time.

“In doing this, people and property will give way to provide for passage of water,” Oyesiku, who is a professor of Urban and Regional Planning, said.

The professor said that the government should also plan for storm water passages and man-holes, the way it is being done in developed cities.

Oyesiku expressed regret that many Nigerians would not want to follow the law, adding that lawlessness had become part of the nation’s value system.

“It is sad that most Nigerians do not want to follow the law. It moves like a circle. Nigerians generally are never law-abiding and it is our value system. Nobody wants to follow the law,” he said.

According to him, this accounted for excessive flooding and infrastructural problems in the cities and which often take trillions of naira to rectify.

The Professor enjoined the government to be firm and involve town planning practitioners for settlement planning well ahead.

According to him, involving professionals in planning the cities from the beginning is cheaper and easier than when the problem has happened. (NAN)