NITP inaugurates committee on her 60th anniversary celebration

By Johnson Arua

The Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) has inaugurated a committee to oversee the planning and execution of the Institute’s 60th anniversary celebration.

The National Public Relations Secretary of the institute, Dr. Chiahemba Nor, in a statement said the inauguration was done by National President, Tpl Dr Ogbonna Chime, who charged the Committee to work assiduously  for great results in the celebration.

The statement noted that the NITP was established in April 1966, pointing out that "the NITP marks six decades of significant contributions to the field of town planning, a milestone considered highly worthy of celebration.

"To ensure the success of this landmark event, a national organizing committee led by Tpl Dr. Moses Ogunleye has been constituted."

The statement emphasised that the committee is tasked with organizing and promoting the anniversary, managing publicity, producing documentaries on the Institute’s history, and highlighting its major achievements in urban and regional planning across Nigeria.

According to Dr. Ogunleye, the committee’s work begins immediately, with the climax of the celebrations set to take place during the NITP International Conference and AGM later in the year in Lagos.

He stated that a wide array of activities has been scheduled to commemorate the 60th anniversary, beginning in April and continuing through October.

"The celebrations will culminate during the NITP International Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM). Among the planned events are anniversary lectures, the publication of a commemorative book titled "NITP at 60," and visits to pioneering institutions instrumental in the training of town planners in Nigeria.

"These institutions include The Polytechnic Ibadan in the West, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in the East, and Kaduna Polytechnic in the North."

Dr Ogunlelye further notes that, the origins of the NITP in Nigeria date back to April 1966, when Pa S. O. Tokun and eight other pioneering planners convened in Ibadan. Their initial meeting laid the foundation for the professional body, which held its official inaugural meeting on September 5, 1966, at the Lagos Executive Development Board (LEDB).

The Institute’s provisional Executive Council was established with Dr. T.M. Aluko serving as secretary, and key founding members including Chief M. O. Onafowokan and Chief M. O. Abiose, among others.

Hence by 1988, the Institute advocated for the promulgation of Decree No. 3 of 1988 by the Federal Military Government, which regulated planning practice in Nigeria—widely known as the TOPREC decree.

Formal recognition of the Institute came with the Urban and Regional Planning Law – Act 88 of December 1992. Currently, the Institute's legal standing is referenced as CAP 431 LFN 1990 and CAP T7 of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Today the NITP has a membership and fellowship class of x and y respectively. Also since 1966 the NITP has immensely contributed in the policy arena on a wide range of issues at the urban and regional  scales whether in the area of policies on housing, land administration, environmental management, climate change, infrastructure, city management, green economy, waste management, urban renewal, among others.

In master planning of communities, regions, and campuses, the NITP has provided expertise over the decades in producing robust master plans. In manpower training too, the NITP has pushed for the established planning schools across the country – Polytechnics and universities, and the establishment of many planning agencies.

The 66th celebration is therefore a landmark accomplishment to be celebrated across the state capitals, local government areas and in Abuja as well as. It promises to be awesome and a color celebration, says Dr Ogunleye.