Professionals Urge Compliance To Lekki Masterplan

Professionals in the built environment have charged the state authorities to ensure total compliance to the existing layout for Lekki masterplan

The masterplan developed some year’s ago by a consultant, Messrs Dal Handazzar was conceived to allow free-flow of traffic, free-flow drainage system and a compact corridor. However, developers have flouted this physical planning regulation. For instance, the master plan mandated every housing estate in Lekki corridor to link their drainage to each other and also link water flow to the primary drainage that would be constructed along the coastal alignment.

A former Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, who superintended the master plan, Mr. Francisco Abosede, said: “But till date, each estate has its drainage that doesn’t link to each other”, he said.  Abosede expressed need for effective monitoring, to ensure the corridor is not turned to another slum.

Some experts who spoke with The Guardian on the situation, said, total deviation from master plan is hurting the area. Immediate Past President Africa Union of Architects, Chief Tokunbo Omisore, noted that “on-going Lekki ‎development will continue to unfold surprises, if we do not ensure population control at both state and national levels. Housing infrastructures in that locality will grow from ideal housing estates to slums over time, if the population remains unchecked.

“Poor population control in economically challenged communities is a catalyst for poverty and corruption. An unchecked population will continue to make infrastructural developments inadequate and most especially create more vices and security challenges.

The Africa Union of Architects, a lead partner of the UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign spent the last four years studying the peculiar developmental problems in her 40- member countries, and from our continued professional development programmes realized that Africa must control her population and promote Urban – Rural developments to become sustainable.

Lekki Corridor may today be a concern but so are others not mentioned or considered. For as long as our leaders continue to plan our budgets for communities without awareness of their existence or needs, these problems will persist. Rather than facing the reality of our problems, we continue to copy the developed nations that have a limited and controlled population.
“No professional body can guide and continue to provide for an uncontrolled population at affordable costs and be sustainable”, Omisore affirmed.

Expressing his concern over what he described as ‘blatant disregard for planning laws in the metropolis, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Wasiu Anifowoshe, said government will not hesitate to wield a big stick against any offenders.