Ayomide Awe
The Ogun State Institute Of Townplanners on Tuesday celebrated renowned planner and former Rector of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Alhaji Waheed Kadiri, as he marked his 75th birthday, using the occasion to examine practical solutions to Nigeria’s rising insecurity.
The event, which doubled as the 12th edition of Kadiri’s annual lecture series, gathered academics, urban planners, and policymakers to deliberate on how engineering, physical planning, and governance can help curb violent crime.
The lecture was themed, “Designing Safer Nigeria: Engineering, Planning and the Fight Against Insecurity.”
Delivering the keynote address, the Vice-Chancellor of Bells University of Technology, Prof. Jeremiah Oludele Ojediran, warned that insecurity in Nigeria has become a network of interconnected threats fueled by weak security strategies and inadequate planning systems.
He observed that deteriorating infrastructure and poor urban design have created enabling environments for criminal activities.
According to him, bad roads, insufficient street lighting, abandoned structures, unregulated settlements, and unchecked urban sprawl have widened opportunities for kidnappers and other criminal elements.
Prof. Ojediran proposed a six-point framework to strengthen national security through planning.
He stated that the strategy includes security-conscious transportation systems, sustainable public lighting, reliable communication networks, smart city development, participatory security governance, and enforceable safety standards.
He urged governments at all levels to integrate safety considerations into physical development and policy decisions.
“Where planning fails and security strategy is weak, violence thrives. Coordinated action is the only solution,” he said.
The programme attracted key stakeholders in the built environment sector, including TPL Kehinde Olusola, Chairman of the Ogun State Institute of Town Planners.
In a goodwill message, former Lagos State Commissioner and current National Vice President of APBN, Prince Olutoyin Adeyemi, described the lecture series as a credible platform for professional engagement.
He cited the Lagos State CCTV project as an example of planning disconnect, noting that about 1,000 surveillance cameras installed more than a decade ago remain non-functional due to power supply challenges at federal base stations.
The Ogun State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development called on planners to position themselves as the first point of contact before any physical development begins, stressing that urban planning must proactively address evolving security challenges.
In his remarks, Kadiri expressed appreciation to colleagues and associates who gathered to honour him.
The former MAPOLY rector reaffirmed the responsibility of professionals, particularly town planners, to combat insecurity through strategic planning, proper urban design, and collaborative action.
