At the 2026 Annual General Meeting of the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON) Ogun State Branch, held in Abeokuta, Chairman TPL Rauf Adebanjo warned that rapid urbanisation and industrial expansion in the state could trigger uncoordinated physical development if not properly managed.
“Ogun State is experiencing rapid urbanisation, industrial expansion and increasing development pressure, particularly along major growth corridors,” Adebanjo said. “These changes create opportunities but also present challenges relating to infrastructure, transportation, housing, environmental management, land‑use conversion and development control.” He urged planners to adopt modern tools such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), digital mapping, data‑driven planning and climate‑resilient approaches.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development TPL Olatunji Odunlami highlighted the state’s commitment to keeping planners’ expertise relevant. He announced that the 2022 Physical Planning and Development Law had been reviewed, with a 2025 edition unveiled to better respond to emerging trends. The commissioner also introduced the Ogun State Building and Construction Code 2025, the first of its kind in Nigeria, aimed at ensuring structural sustainability and preventing building collapse and flooding caused by inadequate planning.
During a lecture titled “Tendering and Bidding for Planning Jobs and Collaboration among Member Firms,” former Lagos Commissioner TPL Idris Salako stressed that town planning is a multidisciplinary profession requiring collaboration across fields. He warned, “Before collaborating with anyone, you must know the pedigree of the person or organisation you want to work with. Proper checks must be carried out to ensure safety and protect the integrity of the profession.”
Veteran planner Waheed Kadiri echoed the call for a shift from mere cooperation to genuine collaboration, noting that cooperation often means accepting everything as presented, whereas collaboration demands mutual respect for professional input.
Collectively, the speakers urged the profession to strengthen its capacity, deepen collaboration with government and other stakeholders, and advocate for coordinated development to avoid the pitfalls of unplanned growth along Ogun’s major growth corridors.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
