Ogun Commissioner Tunji Odunlami calls on engineers and town planners to design safer spaces and collaborate with government to combat insecurity

The Ogun State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tunji Odunlami, has called on professionals in engineering and town planning to support government efforts in addressing rising insecurity in Nigeria.

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Odunlami made the remarks at the 2026 and 12th Waheed Kadiri Lecture, organized by the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Ogun State chapter, held at Leme, Abeokuta. The lecture was themed “Designing Safer Nigeria: Engineering, Planning and the Fight Against Insecurity.”

The commissioner emphasized that safety and security should be integrated into the design of physical spaces to make communities more livable and secure.

He highlighted Governor Dapo Abiodun’s support for security agencies in the state through funding, vehicles, arms, ammunition, and drones to ensure public safety.

Delivering the lecture, Prof. Jeremiah Ojediran, Vice Chancellor of Bells University of Technology, Ota, stated that insecurity is a multidimensional problem requiring coordinated responses from engineers, planners, policymakers, and communities.

He noted that law enforcement alone cannot solve the issue, as crime often thrives in poorly planned areas, unlit streets, abandoned buildings, and congested spaces that limit visibility and response times.

“Insecurity in Nigeria cannot be sustainably addressed through policing and military force alone. It is deeply embedded in how our spaces are designed, how infrastructure systems function, and how planning decisions shape human movement, visibility, access, and control,” Ojediran explained.

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Waheed Kadiri, Rector of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, stressed the importance of strategic planning and encouraged professionals, particularly town planners, to play a key role in designing safer environments and supporting national security efforts.