The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) has pledged professional support for the Rivers State Government’s urban transformation project aimed at restoring order and improving infrastructure in Port Harcourt and surrounding areas.
The institute stated that proper development control remains the most effective way to tackle the growing trend of unplanned urban sprawl across the state capital and its environs.
Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Rivers State Chapter, Dr. Simeipiri Johnbull, made the position known during a visit to the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development.
Johnbull urged the ministry to adopt stricter land-use regulations, particularly to safeguard agricultural zones from encroachment and unregulated development.
Responding, the Rivers State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Amairigha Edward Hart, said the ministry plans to integrate professional town planners into the state’s transformation agenda to ensure sound technical guidance throughout the project.
According to him, the collaboration is expected to reduce technical risks and eliminate planning errors as the pilot phase of the urban renewal initiative begins.
Hart disclosed that the pilot phase would involve the removal of illegal structures within designated areas, resurfacing of existing roads and the restoration of drainage systems to improve environmental sanitation and flood control.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Soibi Duke Harry, described the visit as a timely step towards aligning professional standards with the state’s urban development objectives.
She added that the urban renewal initiative would also focus on upgrading public facilities, large-scale landscaping and extensive tree planting projects aimed at creating a more sustainable and modern city environment.
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