Address of TPL Hakeem Olatunji Badejo (FNITP), President of the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria on World Habitat Day on 6th October, 2025

The UN Habitat on Human Settlements set aside the first Monday of October every year as the World Habitat Day. It is recognized by the United Nations to reflect on the state of towns and cities globally. My dear professional colleagues of the most noble profession that deals with human settlements, orderly developments, and improved quality of living for both humans and animals. Another World Habitat Day is here again today, Monday 6th of October, 2025.

Last year, we focused on “engaging youth to create a better urban future.” Young people were challenged to be involved in the planning of rapid urbanisation in communities and cities. This year, the World Habitat Day is focusing on the “urban crisis response.” As professional town planning consultants, we must be able to connect the dots between last year’s (2024) theme with 2025. The first question we should ask ourselves is to what extent have we engaged and mentored our youths in participating in rapid urbanisation of our towns and cities? If we actually engage the youths, it would prepare them for this higher class of urban challenges that are both natural and man-made. Urbanisation is man-made the knowledge the youth gained on challenges of rapid urbanisation would go a long way in helping them to face the urban crises we are facing now in Nigeria and globally. How prepared are we for the urban crises in 2025 and beyond? If we really take time to expose our youths to tools and approaches in tackling the challenges of rapid urbanisation in 2024, definitely some of the tools and approaches will be useful in tackling the present urban crises we are witnessing now.

The theme for this year’s World Habitat Day is very apt in addressing the endless urban challenges in our various localities. As professionals in the built environment, how prepared are we? Are we prepared to tell our clients and the governments at all levels the gospel truth on the urban projects they are embarking on and how the existing projects are impacting positively or negatively on the people?

The natural crises confronting our human settlements are flash floods, inundation of streams and rivers, sea rise, landslide, desertification, pollution, and a host of others. While the man made crises are an internal display of occasioned by terrorists attacks, slum and blighted areas, social injustices, and inequalities creating uneven urban settlements. Others are corruption, shortage of housing, lack of infrastructure, lack of employment opportunities, failure to address emmigration of youths, failure to accept robust professional advice in the built environment, failure to act locally on international standards on human settlements and health management. Failure to calm nerves on internal restiveness and wars in the middle. This is the time for all concerns to act decisively  without leaving anyone behind.

My dear professional colleagues now  is the time for a deep reflection  on the state of our communities, towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter, gainful employment and address food shortage. These are basic necessities against urban crises. As consultants’ town planners, it is our  responsibility to work as partners with local, state, and regional governments and put our knowledge to bear in shaping  the future of our cities and towns. We must not shy away by constantly advising all levels of governments in Nigeria for the protection of ecological assets, and envisions cities that protect, conserve, restore and promote the ecosystems.

As consultants town planners, we should be concerned with orderly urban setting and good quality of life of the inhabitants. We must continuously be at the forefront in addressing these to make our towns and cities liveable.This is the area of our core competence which we must ensure that our plans address and encourage the urban managers to implement the components of approved plans to the letter. If we strive to achieve this, we can be rest assured that our communities, towns, and cities are crisis free.

I wish you and all the professionals in the built environment as well as inhabitants in our neighbourhoods, communities, towns, and cities happy World Habitat Day.

Long live the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP)
Long live Town Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC)
Long live Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON)
Long live Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN)

Tpl Hakeem Olatunji Badejo (FNITP)
President of ATOPCON
October 6, 2025