Plateau Lists Strides In Greater Jos Master Plan, Riyom, Mangu, Heipang Town Plans

Timothy Alamba Madu

The Plateau State Ministry of Lands, Survey and Town Planning says it is actively participating in the development of the Greater Jos Master Plan, covering Jos North, Jos South, parts of Bassa, Jos East, Riyom and Barkin Ladi local government areas.

The Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Town Planning, Barr. Peter Nyam Gai, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Jos, on the achievements of the ministry under the administration of Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang.

Gai said the ministry’s Town Planning Department had also taken part in the preparation of master plans for Riyom, Mangu and Heipang urban centres, as part of efforts to strengthen development control and planning regulations in both urban and rural parts of the state.

He explained that the department now conducts site inspections supported by aerial imagery, digital mapping and geographic coordinates, a development he said had improved the accuracy of inspection reports across the state.

The commissioner also disclosed that the ministry had acquired land and prepared layouts in support of the “Time Is Now” agenda of the Mutfwang administration.

According to him, the Survey Department complemented these efforts through strict compliance with survey and cartography standards, and collaboration with the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) and licensed surveyors for the restoration and installation of survey control signals.

Gai said the department had also developed in-house software solutions to address slow processing of survey data, in addition to acquiring six additional software licences and modern computer systems to support its operations.

He, however, noted that the ministry still required a full upgrade of its Geographic Information System (GIS) platform, which he listed among the outstanding challenges facing the ministry, alongside a shortage of professional and technical staff and the need for additional logistics support for field operations.

The commissioner said the ministry remained committed to strengthening urban and rural planning regulations as part of broader efforts to position Plateau State for sustainable development.

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