In Ondo State, before the Mimiko’s administration came on board, it appears that no physical planning institution and actionable economic policies were put in place. What this administration met on ground were urban sprawl, street trading, blighted urban infrastructure, deteriorating urban environment, high rate of unemployment, decline in the people’s standard of living, child and maternal mortality and the rural communities across the state were qualitatively and quantitatively depopulated, thereby not economically viable.
Also, the features of urban centres across the state were blighted and unaesthetic, overcrowded and congested. Apart from these built up areas, there are unwholesome environmentally, degrading circumstances in urban centre, some notorious environmental spots, urban violence, poor sanitation, narrow roads, clumsy traffic situation, chaotic vehicular and traffic movements along some notorious spots and uncultured parking habits which causes visual intrusion in most parts of urban centres.
Similarly, there were growths of shanties, street trading, shops overlay, display of make shifts kiosks and wears along major streets. The urban centres exhibited improper urban land use and uncoordinated urban development. Ecological issue is another environmental problem facing urban centres in the state as people built close to river courses and on flood plain, rocky outcrops, slopes and at other difficult and dangerous landscape. Incidental open spaces and buffer zones were misused and mismanaged. The core areas of urban centres then lacked equilibrium as well as scenic and aesthetic values.
With these entire situations on ground, the Mimiko’s administration in its CARING HEART initiative put up an urgent action oriented efforts aimed at adopting appropriate and workable planning strategies that will facilitate and combat these socio-economic problems.
The Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development in Ondo State was therefore put in place by the Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko in 2009 as a tool to tackle physical planning and urban management problems in the state. It has Architect Igbekele Daodu as the Commissioner to champion the course for spatial re-organisation towards achieving quality urban form, structure and sustainable environment.
This is because urban renewal needs a viable personality to cushion the putting up of new live into badly developed and dysfunctional urban centres by providing those facilities that are lacking to make the city more functional, habitable, healthy and aesthetic. This urban renewal is all about achieving environmental sustainability and improving the lives of the people living in slums.
A positive and pragmatic friendly action in the form of urban upgrading was adopted by this administration through the Ondo State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development to restore efficiency, functionality and aesthetics in the blighted areas of urban centres across the state in the form of corrective and remedial actions.
Urban renewal of this administration focuses on the provision of those elements beyond the ability of the poor majority of families living in blighted neighbourhood. Therefore, Mimiko’s administration focuses on the provision of the missing urban facilities and rehabilitates the existing ones without mass demolition of structure, while owners of buildings demolished were adequately compensated before demolition commenced. This physical planning and urban renewal initiative becomes a process to improve the quality of life of the residents in the urban and rural areas.
Governor Mimiko’s mega vision is to stimulate urban economy through various urban renewal programmes in order to solve many social, economic and environmental problems. His administration has been able to develop and harness the economy of the various towns and their inhabitants through the various urban and rural transformational projects of values, including the Quick Win projects. These projects include;Market Infrastructure Development: Before this administration, there were no organized city markets in its modern sense. The traders carry out their daily trading activities on the streets, both in the sun and rain. The government has constructed over twenty markets to provide decent and comfortable business environment, while others are still under construction. It also constructing and rehabilitating market stalls, channelizing streams and rehabilitating abutting roads to markets.
Development of markets infrastructure and other adjoining infrastructure such as roads and channelization of streams are transformational projects of values that makes these markets functional and sustainable, not forgetting that it enhances the aesthetics of the entire neighbourhood for the users. For example, traders and other auxiliary service providers are now operating in a conducive and more comfortable environment. They enjoy complimentarily and external economies due to agglomeration of traders having access to common poll of service infrastructure and larger population. Other advantages include fostering social relationship among traders and other service providers operating in the neighbourhood. The buyers too have choice of goods and services due to the concentration of various goods. Agglomeration of economies of market has positive economic influence on the value of real properties and rents within the neighbourhood.
Urban Restructuring (Relocation of Informal Activities) is another germane urban renewal project being executed by this administration. At inception, this administration became worried due to the unaesthetic nature of urban centres, particularly the state capital, Akure, as a result of indiscriminate location of informal land use activities. This give rise to land use conflicts which eventually results to slum in some areas. These informal land uses include mechanic workshops, street traders, auto-mart, motor parks, plank markets, building material traders etc. The government again provides a serene, secure and sociable environment to solve problems of land use conflicts in urban centres so as to achieve urban aesthetics. This makes provision of facilities such as electricity, water, security, etc economical and efficient. Clustering of artisans leads to lower cost of services and higher profit. Agglomeration of artisans makes transfer of skill and knowledge among artisans easier and improves productivity. Land use intensity due to agglomeration of economies increases the surrounding land values.
Mimiko’s administration in developing urban and rural Infrastructure constructed roads, modern Motor Park, public car parks along Oba Adesida-Oyemekun road to Airport road, central car park behind Akure Central Mosque with the capacity of 284 cars, etc. The historic neglect of infrastructural development which poses a steep barrier to attaining socio-economic transformation and poverty alleviation was tackled by this Mimiko’s administration through the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development that has been responsible for the provision of urban infrastructural facilities in urban centres.
Similarly,the Ministry of Community Development attended to the provision of infrastructure and services to the rural communities across the state. This is to bridge the existing wide gap in infrastructural provision between the rural areas and urban centres and to bring dividend of democracy to the grassroots or rural communities.
As part of efforts to empower the common man in the state, most of the urban renewal projects apart from roads are being handled by the Direct Labour Agency. They engage artisans and professionals to work on the projects directly and thereby improving their sources of income and standard of living. They purchase their materials directly from the local markets and thus improving the trader’s standard of living. Also, through urban renewal programme, the living conditions of the affected areas are improved.
In conclusion, Mimiko has been able to use urban renewal to enhance property values, rejuvenate and restore functionality, efficiency and aesthetics to the affected neighbourhood and thereby improving human lives and dignity to humanity.
Ayokunle Ikusemiju,
Press officer,
Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development
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