Katsina State Government has spent N6 billion on flood control projects in 2017, the state Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Abubakar Ilu, said in Katsina on Wednesday.
Ilu made the disclosure at the opening of 2017 Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme of Nigeria Institute of Town Planners.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the theme of this year’s programme is: ‘‘Enhancing the Livability of Formal Settlements.’’
The commissioner explained that the fund was spent on the construction of drainage to prevent soil erosion, environmental degradation and flooding.
Ilu further said that the government would review the Master Plans for Katsina, Daura and Funtua, with a view to upgrading informal settlements.
He disclosed that the administration would soon roll out the electronic certification of land titles in line with international standard.
In his remarks, National President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Mr Luka Achi, urged the planners to devise a scheme that would discourage rural-urban migration in the country.
‘‘Our rural areas should be made more lively, try to come up with measures that will assist to address issues like soil erosion and other forms of effects of climate change in rural areas,’’ he said.
He expressed the hope that such policy would assist greatly in discouraging rural dwellers from migrating to urban centres.
In his speech, Prof. Joy Ogbazi, the Chairman of the professional development programme, said that informal settlements present special problems in the planning and management of urban areas.
‘‘What they are, how they develop and proliferate, and the problems they engender are to be explored in this year’s programme,’’ she said.
