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The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has urged members of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners to adhere strictly to the ethics of their profession and join hands with FCTA in tackling abuses of the Abuja Master Plan so as to have a serene environment of our dream.
The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah while addressing members of the Institute during a Roundtable Discussion on “Land Use Change and Challenges of Abuja Master Plan Implementation to mark the annual week Said that Town Planners roles were very critical to the development and sustainance of a growing capital city, like Abuja, and must be taken very seriously.
Attah said FCT Ministers have given ample opportunities to the Coordinator of Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, Umar Shaibu and the Director Development Control, Muktar Galadima, who are members of the Institute, to freely work for the preservation of the Abuja Master plan.
He said , most of the contraventions of Abuja’s urban and regional planning, illegalities and even indiscriminate Change of land use in Abuja are caused by Planners who compromised standards.
“Town planners’ roles are very critical and FCTA takes them as key components. If alterations will happen in the city, they are the ones that may be approached by those who want to distort the plans.”
“FCTA is making the appeal to them, to stand by their professional ethics and also see themselves as being key to Abuja project”.
“We are appealing to them to live up to their ethics and do not compromise, but work hard and ensure they protect the Master Plan in its entirety”, he added.
Director of FCTA Development Control, Muktar Galadima speaking on the occasion,blamed members of the Institute for the abuses of the Abuja Master Plan.
Galadima, regretted that some members of the profession were selling off their consciousness for selfish ends, also appealed to Town Planners to stop abusing their professional ethics.
“To a large extent, Town Planners have been privileged and trusted with the responsible of planning, coordinating and management of the Federal Capital City and the entire Territory, incidentally, some of us are performing below expectations.”
“Many infractions is supposed to have been identified and nipped on the bud, but they looked away from them. It is really unfortunate, that is why I feel pained, because a day will come and our children will ask us that such responsibility was given to our position, but look at what you have done,” he added.
“So that is why I said that some of the problems in the city is caused by some us, the Town Planners”.
Chairman of Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, FCT Chapter, Mustapha Mudir, acknowledged that there were few ore, should refrain from anything that could jeopardise human existence.
“We have tried two cases of people we suspected to have compromised our professional ethics and they have faced the music”.
