Olusegun ARIYO
Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON) has sounded the Alarm over what it described as illegal, the inauguration of a committee by the office of the Surveyor General of the Federation, on the Establishment of Land Use Allocation
Checks reveal that on the 16th of January 2026, the office of the surveyor general of the Generation (OSGOF) inaugurated a committee on “Land Use” and an allocation committee for land Projects with support for the modernisation of land administration through geospatial data.
But while sounding the alarm, the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON), in a statement, says on the contrary, the OSGOF should not assume the Position of Physical Planning Responsiublitiy that include Land Use, Zoning, Land Allocation and development, adding that such enforcement is not only unprofessional and unethical but also a clear act of it legal and administrative Overreach
The Statement further states that the composition of the purported five-member committee comprising four surveyors and one quantity surveyor is indefensibly biased,
land surveyors and one quantity surveyor, while excluding the two estate surveyors and a lawyer, as clearly and expressly stated in the Land Use Act, the statement added!
‘The power of composition of the LUAC members is expressly given to the Governor and not the SGOF. The SGOF ignores the other seven core professionals recognised by the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Law to guide orderly, Yet, he wants to achieve orderly development.
From the Legal Imperative, this is a clear violation of jurisdiction because the action of the OSGOF, with what can be viewed as disregards to the settled constitutional and administrative hierarchy of Nigeria.
Residual Powers: The Supreme Court has long affirmed that urban and regional planning is a residual matter; except for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Federal Government lacks the concurrent and exclusive legislative competence to impose physical planning regulations on the Federating States.
Ultra Vires Action: The Land Use Act vests land within each state in the Governor. It does not, anywhere, vest land management or allocation powers in the Surveyor General of the Federation. The Act explicitly mandates that physical development plans are to be prepared and executed by duly constituted Town Planning Authorities.
The laws establishing the Office of the Surveyor General confer no such powers.
Therefore, this committee is a direct affront to the extant legal framework governing land use
administration in Nigeria.
A Matter of Technical Competence in the built environment, the core competence of the Land Surveyor is the precise measurement and mapping of land. Conversely, Land Use Planning—the strategic determination of how land is utilised for housing, commerce, industry, and infrastructure—
requires the specialised expertise of the Town Planner, not a land surveyor. The OSGOF’s claim that it will “ensure compliance with land use regulations” is fundamentally flawed.
The surveyor provides the spatial canvas; the town planner creates the legal and visionary blueprint for its use. For one profession to arrogate the core functions of the other is an invitation to professional anarchy. 3. Professional Ethics and Boundary Integrity Professionalism is founded on respect for statutory boundaries. It is expressly unethical for any profession to operate in a field where they are not trained, certified, and licensed.
The TOPREC Act grants the Town Planners Registration Council the sole authority to regulateand certify professionals for land-use planning. By venturing into this domain, the OSGOF is violating this law and eroding the essential mutual respect among the seven core professions in the built environment.
Grave Implications of This Encroachment. Should this usurpation of roles be allowed to proceed, even on federal lands, the Consequences will be severe:
Administrative Chaos: Conflicting approvals from parallel “Land Use Committees” will create untenable confusion in land administration, and Legal Onslaught: Every enforcement action by OSGOF will be vulnerable to judicial review
leading to a deluge of costly lawsuits against the Federal Government. Investment Insecurity: Investors require legal certainty. Therefore, any development permits issued by incompetent authorities are void under Section 26 of the Land Use Act. This may place billions of Naira in real estate investments at risk. Erosion of Standards: This action sets a dangerous precedent for the total collapse of
Nigeria’s Professional Regulatory Framework: A Call for Immediate Intervention
ATOPCON, therefore, calls for urgent intervention from the following key authorities to avert this institutional crisis: The Attorney General of the Federation. We urge your good office to provide immediate legal guidance to the OSGOF by highlighting the Committee’s conflict with the Land Use Act and the Constitution. The Head of Service of the Federation: We call for an administrative review to halt this duplication of roles and the waste of public resources on an unnecessary and unauthorised committee.
The President of the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN): We request your intervention to uphold professional ethics, boundaries, and mutual respect among all member bodies, particularly in the built environment. The President of SURCON: We call on the Surveyors Registration Council of Nigeria to guide the SGOF to adhere strictly to its core mandate and cease infringing on the statutory roles of Town Planners. The President of TOPREC: We urge the Council to take all necessary administrative steps to protect the integrity of the planning profession from this or any further encroachment.
‘’Nigeria’s path to “Renewed Hope” must be built on a foundation of respect for the rule of law, professional ethics, and specialised expertise. We can not build orderly, safe, and functional cities if we allow unqualified entities to manage our physical and spatial development.
No matter how brilliant or accurate a land surveyor works are, he cannot prescribe drugs to cure a common cold. ATOPCON remains open to collaboration but will resolutely defend the legal and professional integrity of urban and regional planning in Nigeria.
