Seemingly faulting wholesale all the nation’s registered political parties on their respective positions, as it relates to their profession, the members of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) have told the parties to review their manifestos to reflect the critical role of physical planning in their agenda.

The NITP members conveyed their angst through their National President, Mr. Nathaniel Atebije, on Thursday in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), at the 2023 quarterly press conference of the Institute.

Atebije declared that, as the 2023 General Elections draw closer, there is need for political parties to put the issue of town planning on the front burner towards curtailing the rising cases of disasters in the country.

“We recommend to the political parties to review their manifestos to reflect the critical role of physical planning in their agenda.

“There is need to also carry out development in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Act, 1992, as amended in 2004,” he said.

The NITP, according to him, was working on a holistic document to be presented to the political parties soon, that will address the issue of urban planning and disasters in the country.

The NITP President stressed the need for government at all levels to immediately begin sensitisation and installation of measures to minimise flooding this year.

He called for stiff punishment for offenders of building collapse and for more meticulous approval and monitoring of building projects across the country.

In his words: “There is need to enforce city management and building control standards stringently to minimise disasters of building collapse.

“Let the authorities for once make offenders and violators to face the wrath of the law with possibilities of capital punishment.

“This will possibly scare people in the production process of buildings and make them to strictly comply with extant regulations.”