A nation that wishes to develop must necessarily be guided by a National Plan. National Planning is thus a step by step method and process of defining, developing and outlining various possible courses of action to meet existing or future needs, goals and objectives for a country or a large body of people associated with a particular territory, often sharing similar ethnic backgrounds, customs and language (Source: RHW/BLD)
A national Plan must of necessity cover all aspects of a country’s development programme. Nigeria’s past development planning would be classified under four phases. The first can be described as the:
i. Colonial Era
ii. Era of fixed-term planning (1962-85).
iii. Era of Rolling Plan (1990 -1998) and the
iv. New Democratic Dispensation (1999 till date)
There exists between these periods some years dominated by sporadic government actions and ad-hoc planning in which the country did not actually produce a plan document that could be categorized into the four periods mentioned. These periods represent times of major socio-political upheaval and economic crises that necessitated transitory and sporadic actions from the incumbent administrations.
National Development is a process integrated to National Planning. A country must know where it wants to be at a particular time, plan strategy to get there, execute the plans with all resources so earmarked for the achievements of the goals. The National Planning process begins with research into a country’s development indices.
Systems Principles of how we plan include
- Integration and Coordination- Combining and rationalizing structures, functions, policies and processes under a clear set of rules to produce a coherent, integrated outcome. Integration can be vertical combining and rationalizing higher order and subsidiary systems e.g. hierarchy of plans or horizontal integrating different aspects of single system e.g. a State government.
- Certainty – Consistency regarding the conditions under which development will proceed, the rate and scale at which it will take place and the way planning principles and mechanisms will be applied.
- Responsiveness – The flexibility needed to respond to changing or unforeseen circumstances.
- Equity – Fairness, such as protection of personal rights, equity access to appeal mechanisms and procedures that do not discriminate against individuals or groups.
- Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Economy – No unnecessary processes and governance arrangement etc.
- Community Engagement – Promotion of community engagement including consultation, participation and increased community understanding and support for planning processes.
What issues should be addressed through planning?
Basic issues in National Planning must include but not limited to Urban form, Infrastructure Coordination, Social Equity, Environmental Protection and restoration, Resource Management and security, Housing choice and affordability and Sustainable transport. All these have their foundation in engineering, No wonder engineering has been described as all encompassing that there is no single structure on this earth that is man- made which is not tied directly to it. By his training therefore, engineer ought to be at the fore of National Planning, with economists, statistician etc.
In development, critical infrastructure is key. In this regard, we mean roads, rails, aerodromes, water supply, education, power supply, environment, agriculture, transportation, tourism development, hospital development, housing, etc are all engineering based with other services supportive.
So if those who have the know-how are not piloting the development plans, who should?
Excerpt from paper: THE Nigerian Engineer and National Development by Engr. Ali Rabiu, FNSE,
Engr. Rabiu is Principal Partner Ar-Consulting. He was a Vice President of Nigerian Society of Engineers and former Chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE Kano. Engr Rabiu was honoured with the traditional title of CIGARIN LAFIA by HRH, Alh. Isa Mustapha Agwai 1, the Emir of Lafia.
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