Group Wants Review Of Greater PHC Masterplan

The Chairman of Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Rivers State Chapter, Tonte Davies says there is need to review the master plan of the Greater Port Harcourt City to reflect community needs.
Davies made the call during a media interactive forum organised by the Silverbird Communications at the weekend in Port Harcourt.
The Rivers State NITP chairman argued that, “the South African firm that made the master plan did not understand the land tenure systems, and this has made the plan not sustainable.”
He explained that one way to make the new city workable is to incorporate the needs of the communities, while adding that communities must insist to be incorporated into new town plans.
Calling on the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike’s administration to evolve plans to decongest Port Harcourt city, Davies suggested that government should come up with development plans for Ahoada, Bori and Degema.
”We should begin to look at how to develop Rivers State into agro-based economy”, he stressed.
On his part, former Chairman of the NITP in the state and lecturer at the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Opuriba Ekoriko, harped on the need for government to display political will to enforce town planning laws.
Opuriba stated that violation of town planning laws was responsible for the demolition of properties in most parts of the state, and therefore, sought for proactive measures to bring about sanity in building activities.
The former NITP boss maintained that town planning activities should cover every aspect of the city, from drainage, leisure, residential to infrastructure, and recommended the need for government to engage professionals in its town planning policies.