Aisha Waliyullah & Fareedah Ogundairo
The Vice Chancellor of Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State, Prof. Jeremiah Ojediran, has attributed Nigeria’s growing insecurity to poor urban planning and neglected infrastructure, saying deliberate design could curb crime across the country.
Prof. Ojediran made the remarks while delivering the keynote address at the 12th Waheed Kadiri Lecture Series, organised by the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Ogun State Chapter, on Tuesday.
He highlighted that Nigeria’s security crisis is not anecdotal but backed by data, citing the Global Terrorism Index 2025, which ranked Nigeria as the sixth most terrorised nation globally, with 565 terrorism-related deaths recorded in 2024.
“Insecurity in Nigeria is not accidental. It is closely linked to how we lay out roads, develop neighbourhoods, maintain public spaces, and deliver essential services,” he said.
“Infrastructure is never neutral. It either reduces risk or unintentionally creates opportunities for crime.”
The engineering expert argued that while security agencies remain essential, modern urban development must integrate safety from the design stage.
“Prevention, resilience, and safety can be deliberately built into our environment. When we shape spaces, we provide—or deny—avenues for crime,” he added.
Prof. Ojediran identified poorly planned neighbourhoods, dark streets, abandoned buildings, overcrowded areas, and ill-managed transport hubs as common enablers of crime.
He cited Lagos and Abuja, where uncompleted buildings often serve as hideouts for criminals, and bus stops prone to “one-chance” robberies due to poor lighting and lack of monitoring.
He also criticised the lack of coordination among government agencies handling works, housing, transport, power, communications, and internal security, noting that fragmented oversight hampers safety-focused city planning.
To tackle the problem, the VC proposed a six-point plan, including: Designing roads and public spaces with security in mind ; Installing decentralised lighting systems ; Enhancing emergency communication networks ;
Using digital mapping to monitor crime-prone areas ; Involving communities in planning decisions ; and Including safety standards in building and planning regulations
The lecture series, held in honour of distinguished town planner and former national President of NITP and former Rector ,Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Alhaji Waheed Kadiri on his 75th birthday.
In his goodwill message, former Lagos State Commissioner and current National Vice President of APBN, Prince Olutoyin Adeyemi, lauded the lecture series for becoming an established platform for professional discourse.
Adeyemi noted the Lagos State CCTV project as an example of planning disconnects, revealing that 1,000 cameras installed over a decade ago remain non-functional because the federal government never powered the base stations.
The Ogun State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development called for planners to be the “first point of contact before any physical development,” stressing that urban design must respond to contemporary security challenges.
Kadiri in his short remarks expressed appreciation to the people to rallied round him to celebrate him.
He corroborated the speakers on the need for the professionals especially, Town planners to fight insecurity through their works.
He also encouraged all the stakeholders to contribute their quota in the process of fighting insecurity in the country .
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