Ogun town planners raise alarm over uncoordinated development

The Chairman of the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria, ATOPCON, Ogun State Branch, TPL Rauf Adebanjo, has raised the alarm over mounting development pressure along major growth corridors in the state, warning that it could trigger uncoordinated physical development if not properly managed.

Adebanjo asserted that while the state is experiencing rapid urbanisation and industrial expansion, it is also faced with challenges relating to infrastructure, housing, transportation, environmental management, land-use conversion and development control.

He spoke during the association’s 2026 Annual General Meeting, AGM, held in Abeokuta on Thursday, insisting that these challenges must be urgently tackled to ensure orderly and sustainable development.

“Ogun State is experiencing rapid urbanisation, industrial expansion and increasing development pressure, particularly along major growth corridors. These changes create opportunities but also present challenges relating to infrastructure, transportation, housing, environmental management, land-use conversion and development control.”

He urged members to continuously improve their knowledge and embrace modern planning tools such as Geographic Information Systems, GIS, digital mapping, data-driven planning and climate-resilient approaches.

Adebanjo also called for intensified advocacy on the consequences of uncoordinated physical development, noting that the association remains committed to strengthening professional capacity and deepening collaboration with government and other stakeholders to ensure that the voice and expertise of consultants remain relevant in the state’s development process.

The Chairman of the occasion and Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, TPL Olatunji Odunlami, said the government was committed to ensuring that the voice and expertise of town planning consultants remain relevant in the state’s development process.

He disclosed that the state government had continued to re-engineer its processes to respond to challenges occasioned by rapid industrialisation.

He said the 2022 Physical Planning and Development Law had been reviewed, with the 2025 editions unveiled to make them more responsive to emerging trends.

He said the state had also introduced the Ogun State Building and Construction Code 2025, the first and only of its kind by any state in Nigeria, to ensure the sustainability of structures and prevent building collapse and flooding, which he noted are often results of inadequate planning.

The commissioner explained that the new regulations were designed to promote general planning input, give the profession its desired recognition and encourage firm-based practice.

Delivering his lecture themed, “Tendering and Bidding for Planning Jobs and Collaboration among Member Firms,” former Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development in Lagos, TPL Idris Salako, urged town planning consultants to embrace collaboration to enhance professional efficiency and quality of delivery.

The expert described town planning as a multidisciplinary profession in which effective practice requires working with experts across fields, lamenting that many consultants had failed to take collaboration seriously despite being taught in school.

He, however, cautioned town planners against entering into partnerships without conducting proper checks on prospective collaborators, stressing the need for professionals to establish the pedigree, competence and credibility of those they intend to work with to ensure that collaboration did not expose them or their clients to risks.

He said, “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.”

Corroborating, a veteran town planner, Waheed Kadiri, harped on the need for a shift from cooperation to genuine collaboration among professionals, explaining that cooperation implies accepting everything as presented, while collaboration requires mutual respect for professional input.