Town planners begin N500m secretariat in Abia State

Members of the Abia State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) has begun move for the building of its permanent Secretariat in Umuahia.
Performing the ground breaking ceremony of the project, estimated to cost N500 milion, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, who was represented by his Deputy, Ude Oko Chukwu, expressed appreciation for the NITP efforts in the state.

He stressed government’s support for the project, and acknowledged that the institute has through its activities bring about sustainability of livable environment through physical planning.

Ikpeazu said: “Individuals and corporate bodies were erecting structures unguardedly but today with your efforts, there is semblance of order in the way things are done in this respect, it is now achievable because of the far reaching measure we have adopted”.He however stated that the responsibility to protect, sustain, beautify and uphold the integrity of the environment is that of both the government and NITP. He added that the current state administration has made conscious efforts to ensure that sanity is injected in the physical development of the state.

Earlier, the Commissioner of Lands, Survey and Urban Planning, Chief Uche Ihediba, stressed the need for master and physical planning, describing it as key to infrastructural development.According to him, it was in view of this that the state government and the people fully support NITP, hence the allocation of land to it to erect its state secretariat.

The state chairman of NITP, Nelson Nwaosu said the building would be in phases with five years completion time. He thanked the state governor for allocating NITP land in the new government station layout despite the land scarcity.

Nwaosu also announced the NITP unanimous resolution to name the Secretariat after ‘pioneer chairman of the state Chapter, Dr. Chijioke Odimuko’, a fellow of NITP and who later became the National President of the Institute.

The traditional ruler of Ndume Ibeku community, the land-donor, Eze Donatus Aguiyi pleaded with government to compensate his community by appointing their sons and daughters into prominent positions and provision of amenities.