The Ogun State Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, has called for proactive physical planning to address the challenges of rapid urbanisation, population growth and industrial expansion in the state.
Salako-Oyedele said the increasing movement of people from neighbouring Lagos State into Ogun, coupled with the expansion of industrial activities and infrastructure, required effective planning to prevent traffic congestion, flooding, environmental degradation and the emergence of unplanned settlements.
The Deputy Governor spoke on Thursday at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Ogun State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, with the theme, “Honouring the Past, Designing the Future.”
Salako-Oyedele who chaired the anniversary committee, said physical planning must anticipate development rather than respond to problems after they had emerged.
She explained that “Physical planning must not merely respond to development; it must anticipate and guide it. As new communities open up, our planning authorities must be ahead of the curve,” she said.
“Ogun has continued to attract residents seeking affordable housing, business opportunities and better living conditions, while the state government’s investments in infrastructure, including major road projects and the Gateway International Airport, were opening up new economic opportunities
“Developers, investors, communities, and individual property owners should see our planning authorities as institutions that provide guidance, facilitate orderly development, and help them achieve objectives within an appropriate regulatory framework, and not simply as regulatory or enforcement bodies”.
According to her, the state rapid developments have increased pressure on roads, drainage systems, water supply, sanitation, schools, healthcare facilities and other essential infrastructure.
She warned that failure to plan adequately for the state’s growth could result in the same urban problems experienced in other rapidly developing communities.
The deputy governor urged planning authorities to identify emerging growth corridors, prepare development plans, reserve land for public infrastructure and ensure that new residential estates were integrated into the wider urban environment.
She also highlighted the role of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and its agencies in ensuring orderly and sustainable development.
Salako-Oyedele said the state government had strengthened the regulatory framework for physical planning through the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning Development Law of 2022, the introduction of new Planning and Development Regulations in 2025 and the Ogun State Building Code of 2025.
However, she stressed that the effectiveness of the reforms would depend on their implementation and the ability of relevant agencies to engage constructively with developers, investors, communities and property owners.
She called for transparent procedures, timely processing of applications, clear communication and early engagement with stakeholders, while insisting that violations capable of endangering lives or undermining the public interest must attract appropriate enforcement.
The deputy governor also urged town planners to embrace modern technologies, including geographic information systems, satellite imagery, digital mapping and artificial intelligence, to improve data collection, forecasting, development monitoring and decision-making.
She said planning should prioritise people’s welfare and produce inclusive communities that cater to women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
Earlier, the guest lecturer, Prof Timothy Nubi, a professor of Estate Management and Valuation at the University of Lagos, said Ogun State had lost valuable development opportunities because physical planning was not prioritised sufficiently in its early years.
Nubi observed that although Ogun was created in 1976, town planners in the state began organising themselves in 1986, leaving a 10-year gap between the state’s creation and the organisation of the profession.
The professor also criticised successive administrations for failing to give adequate priority to planning, noting that the state’s pressure-area plan was prepared in 2005, almost three decades after its creation.
He said the delay in preparing the plan, coupled with the lack of political will to implement it effectively, had contributed to the challenges confronting the state’s urban development.
Nubi, however, expressed optimism that Ogun could reverse the situation if the government empowered its planning institutions and made physical planning central to development decisions.
He described Ogun as a major industrial hub, citing the concentration of factories and industrial establishments along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway corridor, and said proper planning could help the state maximise the economic benefits of its industrial expansion.
According to him, the state has the potential to become one of the most prosperous in the world if it harnesses its industrial capacity through effective planning.
He also called for the empowerment of agencies responsible for urban renewal, particularly those tasked with addressing slum conditions in communities such as Mowe and Ibafo.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the Ogun State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Olusola Odukoya, said the anniversary offered an opportunity to reflect on the institute’s achievements and strengthen its commitment to sustainable development.
Odukoya said the 40-year milestone represented decades of professional service, resilience and collective effort by the institute’s founders, past leaders, members and partners.
He urged town planners to embrace innovation, strengthen professional collaboration and nurture younger practitioners to prepare for the challenges ahead.
Similarly, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tpl Olatunji Odunlami, said the institute had played a significant role in the state’s efforts to achieve orderly development over the past four decades.
Odunlami identified the preparation of development plans for the state’s economic development clusters, development guide plans for rapidly growing areas bordering Lagos State, the introduction of an electronic planning permit processing system and the Ogun State Building and Construction Code as some of the milestones in the state’s physical planning efforts.
He expressed hope that the resolutions reached at the institute’s 2026 annual general meeting would further improve physical planning and development management in Ogun State and Nigeria