Tinubu urges states to adopt National Urban Development Policy

President Bola Tinubu has called on state governments to domesticate the National Urban Development Policy to strengthen town planning and promote sustainable urban growth across Nigeria.

Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja at the 56th International Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Tinubu—represented by Ahmed Dangiwa, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, said urban development remains a key part of his administration’s national transformation agenda.

He said the decision stems from the belief that “cities are more than economic hubs; they are also spaces of innovation, social integration, and environmental responsibility.”

According to the president, Nigeria currently grapples with “rapid urbanisation, unplanned growth, informal settlements, infrastructural gaps, and environmental threats.”

“In response, our government is taking the following strategic steps,” Tinubu said. “The first is the approval of the National Urban Development Policy a few months ago—a milestone initiative reflecting our determination to build liveable, resilient, and productive cities.

“The policy provides a harmonised framework for collaboration among agencies responsible for planning, housing, and infrastructure, promoting coherence and accountability. I want other state governments to also domesticate this policy in their own domains.”

Tinubu noted that the Federal Government is partnering with professional bodies such as the NITP to drive evidence-based policymaking and capacity building. Some of the new initiatives, he said, include the digitisation of planning administration, the Urban Inclusiveness Policy, and the integration of climate action into urban planning.

He added that the government had recently inaugurated bus terminals in Abuja and awarded contracts for similar facilities across the six geopolitical zones as part of its urban regeneration efforts.

The president urged members of the NITP to “continue leading by upholding the highest standards of professionalism, mentoring young planners, and championing solutions that address the evolving challenges of Nigerian cities.”

NITP National President, Dr Ogbonna Chime, said the conference aimed to highlight the pressing issues affecting urban planning and to seek practical solutions.

He lamented that “at all levels of government—federal, state, and local—the practice of planning is hampered by weak institutions and poor political commitment. The laws that were painstakingly designed to guide our practice are not faithfully implemented.”

According to him, the 2025 conference “drew attention to the sobering reality of uncoordinated administration of urban and regional planning and its effects.”

Chime said political interference and disregard for due process had “reduced planning to a reactive, often chaotic exercise rather than a proactive, orderly process,” leading to “haphazard urban growth, slum proliferation, infrastructural deficit, and widespread environmental degradation.”

He added that the partnership that should exist between town planners and political leaders “has, in most cases, been replaced by suspicion or neglect.”

“Without mutual respect and synergy between professionals and policymakers, no settlement would achieve true potential,” he said.

Chime urged the government to correct the anomaly and called on town planners to enforce planning laws, demand their faithful implementation, and pursue settlement development that is “orderly, inclusive, and sustainable.”

“The destiny of our settlements lies in our collective hands,” he said. “Nigeria’s urbanisation can either become a curse of slums, congestion, and environmental decay, or a blessing of prosperity, equity, and sustainability.”

Mr Isyaku Kura, President of the Town Planners’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC), warned that the absence of a structured annual verification process had exposed the profession to risks.

“This not only erodes public trust but also compromises the quality and integrity of our work,” he said. “The future of our profession rests on our willingness to embrace change and commit to excellence.”

Former Minister of State for the FCT, Ramatu Aliyu, expressed concern about the slow pace of implementing urban laws and stressed the need for political will.

She urged town planners to take active roles in politics, saying: “Town planners should go into politics to vie for positions that will place them in decision-making offices and galvanise the necessary support for urban planning policies to be carried out.”