The Abia State government, in conjunction with UN-Habitat, has launched new efforts to deliver a master plan for Aba, the State’s commercial hub.
The master plan for which the UN-Habitat team has completed the data collation involves land use, infrastructure, and communication goals, among other things.
Speaking at a workshop organized by the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) and UN-Habitat, the Director General of GADA, Architect Uche Ukeje, stated that a good master plan heavily depends on accurate, reliable and timely data.
He explained that a master plan is a comprehensive and long-term document that guides future growth and development and encompasses land use and infrastructure. It must be anchored on reliable data to ensure success.
Ukeje warned that planning would be ruined without accurate and reliable data and assured that the Aba master plan would help the city establish its current and future positions.
He urged the ministries of Works, Education, Housing and Health to pay attention to designs and assumptions in the master plan, stressing that only validated data would be required to make decisions such as the location of schools, hospitals, markets and other facilities.
He said,” This is the first known master plan that has been produced for the city of Aba. This is because if you look at the city as it is,you will know that the business district was actually planned.A master plan provides a conceptual layout and guiding framework for future growth and development. But for you to be able to achieve this, it needs to be anchored on data. It needs to have accurate and reliable data. If you are going to be making plans that will provide for development for the next 30 years, you need to establish where you are today because if you don’t know where you are now, you won’t be able to know where you will be in the next 30 years. What we are doing is to validate the data that has been collated for the past 2 years. This is very important because once data is validated,it becomes a springboard to base design, assumptions and planning for the next 30 years. If we have wrong data, everything will be ruined. It is also important that the ministries of Works, Education, Housing and Health pay attention to the assumptions that will be reeled out because it will form the basis for the location of new hospitals, infrastructure, markets and other facilities required for human existence.”
In his address, the leader of the UN-Habitat team, Mr. Paul Okunlola, noted the urgent need to decongest Aba City, which he described as a major commercial hub that can serve as an engine for regional growth if properly planned.
He explained that the master plan for Aba aims to produce a properly functioning city that will serve the people well.
He said: “Aba is getting too congested. It is not well planned, and the benefits of sustainable organization are being lost. You have to plan with the people, not over them. Some might lose properties if they are built on canals or highways, but collective good must prevail.”
Okunlola disclosed that UN-Habitat is determined to deliver the state government a final proposal on the Aba master plan by the end of June 2025.
“We will submit our final to the state government by the end of June 2025. From there, the government can prioritize which components to implement first and seek funding from entities like the World Bank, IMF, African Development Bank, or the European Union.”
On her part, Dr. Chinwe Ekwuribe, District Planning Officer at Aba South Town Planning Authority, explained that every city has laws and policies that residents must comply with.
She, however, noted that implementation and enforcement of the laws are the greatest problems, even though some residents are not fully aware of them.
“People don’t really know how to live in a city with policies, laws, and orders. We have guidelines, but the challenge is enforcement. Once the master plan is finalized, we will have the leverage and authority to implement and enforce these laws.”
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Abia State, Engr. Izuchukwu Ọnwụghara said that the master plan would help the government improve drainage, infrastructure, resource allocation, the city’s structure, and where to channel future development.
* Media Report