Three weeks ago, in the first part on this subject, we indicated that we should look at the sort of life that would be possible for residents of our communities over the next 100 years.

We mentioned three towns in Osun State, namely, Ipetu-Ijesha, Ilesha and Osogbo, which towns would provide a starting point for our look into what needs to be done now for the residents of these communities.

Before the 1970s, our major roads for travel across Nigeria passed through the centres of our towns. From the 1970s onwards, our trunk roads were built on new alignments which were some distance away from the built-up areas of our towns.

For example, the road from Ibadan to Ile-Ife, Ilesha and Akure is on an alignment that passes south of Gbongan, Ipetu-modu and Ilesha and north of Ikire, Ipetu-Ijesha on its initial construction as a two-lane road. The road was subsequently dualised between Ibadan and Ile-Ife after which the road was re-aligned to pass north of Ile-Ife and was also dualised to some distance east of Ilesha.

At Ile-Ife, part of the new road passes through land belonging to the Obafemi Awolowo University and hence there have not been new developments along this portion of the new road. However, in the other towns, developments of new residential areas have moved towards the new road from the older parts of the towns.

The new developments have not been carried out in a manner that enhances overall movement across different parts of the towns. Rather, the developments have followed old patterns in which the footpaths for pedestrian access, which also form the boundaries between different land owners, were expanded into the main roads through the new areas.

We must from now on adopt a new approach to planning urban and regional land use. Government must introduce zoning plans and support the zoning plans by acquiring land corridors to be used for major roads in an area long before any development starts in that area. Land owners would be required to submit their layout plans in conformity with the zoning plans.

Osogbo is in a good position to take advantage of this new approach as the state government is building new roads that would take traffic approaching Osogbo on major highways, namely, Gbongan-Osogbo road, Ilesha-Osogbo road, Ikirun-Osogbo road, past Osogbo without passing through the built-up areas of Osogbo. Plans for urban development should also make provisions for adequate road widths which include a space through which municipal services would pass thereby avoiding the current situation in which cold water supply pipes pass through drainage channels.

The tall structures that one observes in our major cities and towns are mainly metal structures used for the provision of telecommunications services. These structures are becoming a blight on the landscape while telecommunications services are not improving. Standards for the provision of telecommunications services should be reviewed such that these masts are substantially eliminated.

If telecommunications services are to improve, there has to be less reliance on microwave signal transmissions and fibre optic cables should be laid across our cities and towns to link the telecommunications services equipment.

One justification for the relatively high cost of telecommunications services is that when people are able to contact others by telephone, there is a reduction in road journeys that people have to make. Hence, people could put their time to better use besides the reduction in traffic congestion. There is therefore a compelling need for better telecommunications services.

Our communities have acquired increasing competence in solid waste management. Refuse is placed in bags which are collected, compacted and transported to landfill sites in truck-compactors. Our communities should identify locations that are suitable for landfill and develop such sites for use into the future.