Ibadan gets blue print for regeneration

A master plan for the transformation of Ibadan to a truly cosmopolitan city was rolled out in the city on Wednesday.

The project was the brainchild of Adewale Ajadi, an indigene of the town, acting under the banner, "Mesiogo ‘09." According to Mr. Ajadi, the project seeks to promote the ‘idea that we can plan for the future of a city like Ibadan from the grassroots'. The project is a strategic plan, envisioning a world class city status for the city in the next 30 years.

"There is no big city in the world where the government can fix all the problems. It is a partnership between the government and the citizens. What we do today is to structure visual plan for the city, and that is the first of its kind in the African continent," Mr. Ajadi claimed.

In achieving this aim, Mesiogo ‘09 gathered people from different walks of life to interact with a graphic representation of the product of 1,500 questionnaires earlier filled by residents and indigenes of Ibadan on their dreams for the city in the 21st century.

With the expertise of John Caswell, a Briton, Mesiogo ‘09 drew a broad chart of its mission for display and allowed the participants to lend their voices on the project.

There were frank talks about the problem facing the city and the how the indigenes and successive governments in Oyo state and the 11 local governments in the town have contributed to the many crises holding it down from reaching its desired status.

Part of the problems, according to the speakers, border on politics, poverty and lack of proper education among the indigenes and residents of the town.

Planlessness as a way of life

Bayo Suleman, a Superintendent of Police (SP) said if the government can muster the political will for the project, it will work effectively.

Mr. Sulaiman expressed worries with the way structures are erected in the city without taking cognizance of the future effect of those structures on their immediate environments.

"It depends on the government of the state, the will to turn the environment around is what it takes.

Ibadan has come together

They should join hands with the government to make things happen," he said.

Kazeem Gbadamosi, Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ibadan branch, also believes the forum is a step towards a good direction.

"This is the first time people will be taking the bull by the horn publicly and get the people to discuss the way out.

Whatever they gather, they should put into use. They have started well. It is not government-sponsored. We hope they will be able to achieve their aim.

They need legal framework and the government to support the job," Mr. Gbadamosi said.

Mr. Gbadamosi was, however, worried that the representatives of the government were not invited to the forum, saying they should have come to listen to what people think about the city and its administration.

But Mr. Ajadi said not inviting politicians was deliberate.

"There is problem in that, if the government people are here, we would not have achieved what we achieved today. There will be a debate about the government. It will be what they have not done, what they should have done, or what we will like them to do. And that will stop us from doing what we can do. Also, if we invite the government and we do not invite the opposition, it will look like it is a partisan thing for the government."