The Rivers State Government has charged professionals in the building industry to always go through due process and laid down regulations to ensure standard practice in urban renewal.
The Commissioner for Urban Development and Physical Planning, Barrister Osima Ginah, gave the charge while meeting with stakeholders in the building industry in Port Harcourt, recently.
He noted that the society has moved from analogue way of doing things in haphazard manner.
A statement by the Information Officer of the ministry, Isabella Ibim, noted that Barrister Ginah frowned at members of the Nigeria Institute of Town Planners who were still using obsolete data analysis in their town planning and physical development and urged them to improve.
He solicited the cooperation of stakeholders to reposition the ministry to achieve its goals in urban development.
According to him, the ministry is the watchdog of the state environment and therefore, called for the support of all stakeholders .
He said constructive criticisms were welcome but advised that such criticisms should be done decently rather than maligning the government.
He urged the stakeholders to carry out their duties professionally to maintain set standards in the building industry.
On his part, the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on ICT, Mr. Asawo Ibifuro, said as part of the state governor’s mandate to improve service delivery and ease of doing business in the state, as well as bringing transparency and accountability, government has embarked an automation exercise for all its Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He disclosed that all the MDAs in the state were being automated and stressed that the state ICT department has done the automation process for the Ministries of Education, Health and Justice as well as Internal Revenue Services, adding that they were in the process of automating the Urban and Physical Planning Ministry.

Tonye Nria-Dappa