Professor Samuel Danjuma Wapwera of the University of Jos
Professor Samuel Danjuma Wapwera of the University of Jos has attributed the growing pattern of unsafe developments and environmental degradation in Jos to the prolonged failure to implement the Greater Jos Urban Master Plan.
Wapwera, the first academic in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and the fourth in the Faculty of Environmental Sciences to deliver an inaugural lecture, stated this on Tuesday while presenting the University of Jos’ 115th Inaugural Lecture, titled: ” _The Exclusive Ideal: Ripples of Physical Planning Developments and the Unfulfilled Promise of the Greater Jos Urban Master Plan”,_ at the Aliyu Akwe Doma Indoor Theatre, Naraguta Campus.
He said the master plan was conceived as a comprehensive framework to guide land use, infrastructure provision and sustainable urban growth in Jos, but lamented that its vision had remained largely unfulfilled over the years.
He also observed that the absence of effective planning control had resulted in developments without access roads, basic infrastructure or environmental safeguards, warning that the city was increasingly becoming unsafe for residents.
He said, “The Greater Jos Urban Master Plan had a vision that was meant to guide development and guarantee a healthy environment for the people, but that vision has not been fulfilled. What we see today are developments taking place without a guiding framework, and this affects all of us directly.”
“We do not know the fate of our children or our grandchildren because we now find ourselves in an environment that is not conducive to healthy living. Human beings live in the environment, work in the environment and play in the environment, and planning is meant to programme how infrastructure supports these activities.”
Wapwera noted that parts of Jos were originally developed under clear and functional layouts, citing areas such as Dadin Kowa, Gada Biyu and Farin Gada, but said planning order had gradually collapsed due to institutional weakness and lack of enforcement.
According to him, the failure of the master plan could be traced to institutional deficiencies, including poor coordination among planning agencies, political interference, inadequate funding and a shortage of qualified manpower.
“When you look at some of these areas, you will see that they were properly planned. Roads were laid out, access was provided, and infrastructure could be easily installed. Unfortunately, the system that sustained that order has broken down.”
“In Jos today, we have fewer than 70 registered town planners. That number is far below what is required to manage a city of this size effectively,” he explained.
He called on government to urgently review, update and legislate the Greater Jos Urban Master Plan, stressing that urban planning must be treated as a governance and public safety priority.
“This is where we live. This is where we work. This is where we have our being. If we continue to neglect planning, we will continue to pay the price as a society,” he added.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jos, Professor Tanko Ishaya, described the encroachment on university land as a growing concern, noting that it reflected broader failures of planning implementation and enforcement. He urged relevant authorities to study the inaugural lecture and take necessary action to address the challenges highlighted.
