Ogun risks becoming Lagos’ dump site if unplanned – Varsity don warns

A Professor of Estate Management at the University of Lagos, Prof. Timothy Gbenga Nubi, has warned that Ogun State risks becoming a dumping ground and dormitory for Lagos if its proximity to the nation’s commercial capital is not properly planned.

Nubi gave the warning on Thursday at the 40th anniversary of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Ogun State chapter, held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, with the theme, “Honouring the Past: Designing the Future.”

“Proximity does not create prosperity; it has to be planned,” Nubi stated.

Delivering his keynote address titled “Repositioning Physical Planning for Ogun State’s Next Forty Years,” Nubi said Ogun occupies a strategically important position within the Lagos metropolitan region but has failed to convert its geographical advantage into a planned metropolitan advantage.

According to him, rapid urbanisation along the Lagos-Ogun frontier has generated serious planning challenges, particularly along the Isheri-Ibafo-Mowe-Sagamu Interchange corridor.

He noted that while planners in the state recognised the expansion of Lagos and attempted to respond with the Ogun State Regional Development Plan 2005–2025 and its Development Pressure Area framework, including the Gateway City concept, developments around Mowe, Ibafo, Ofada and adjoining settlements illustrate a persistent gap between planning vision and implementation.

“Rather than allowing the state to function predominantly as a residential extension and dormitory of Lagos, Ogun should pursue a complementary metropolitan development strategy based on a hierarchy of cities, growth centres, transport corridors, affordable housing locations and protected ecological and agricultural areas,” he stated.

He argued that contemporary and regularly reviewed master plans are required in Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, Ilaro and other strategic urban centres, supported by a state-wide spatial development framework.

To change the trajectory, Nubi proposed renewed spatial planning, metropolitan Lagos-Ogun coordination, updated city master plans, strategic growth centres, integrated transport and land use, affordable housing, informal settlement upgrading, environmental resilience, digital planning, and strengthened implementation institutions and financing as priorities for the next 40 years.

In her remarks, the Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, described the anniversary theme as appropriate and timely, stressing that the profession was not just about drawing layouts, approving developments or determining land use, but about creating communities where people could live, work, move safely and enjoy a good quality of life.

She warned that today’s development must not become tomorrow’s problem.

Salako-Oyedele said the services of town planners were more critical than ever, noting that with major investments by the Governor Dapo Abiodun administration, the state was experiencing an increased influx of people from Lagos. She warned that without proactive planning, the state risked traffic congestion, flooding, environmental degradation and unplanned settlements.

The deputy governor assured attendees that concerns raised at the event, including those relating to the Sango-Ota road, had been noted and would be addressed.

Speaking at the event, the National President of NITP, Tpl Chime Ogbonna, who was represented by the Chairman of the Lagos State chapter, Tpl David Olawale, said Ogun, as Nigeria’s industrial capital, sat at the heart of the future of town planning in the South-West.

He noted that how major towns and emerging corridors were planned today would define the liveability of the region for the next 40 years.

Ogbonna said the anniversary theme challenged planners to reimagine the profession amid rapid urbanisation, climate change and the housing crisis. He also commended the Ogun chapter for its role in implementing the state’s Urban and Regional Planning Law, advocating inclusive housing and mentoring young planners.

In his remarks, the state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tpl Olatunji Odunlami, said the state had employed 140 town planners, enacted one principal law and five regulations, and expanded planning offices to more than 40, including six new district offices.

Odunlami said the state had also established the Ogun State Building Production Management Authority (OGBPMA), describing it as the first of its kind, and urged the chapter to leverage the reforms to deliver a more orderly and resilient Ogun State.

Earlier, the Ogun NITP Chairman, Tpl Olusola Odukoya, said the institute’s 40 years could not be measured by time alone but by lives touched, barriers overcome and a legacy passed from one generation to another.

He noted that the theme called for gratitude to the founders who kept the vision alive.

Odukoya said the journey had not always been easy, but every challenge had revealed the strength of the institute. He stressed that the future would not simply happen but must be built with fresh imagination, bold leadership and commitment to the next generation.

Ogun risks becoming Lagos’ dump site if unplanned – Varsity don warns