ABSTRACT

 This technical report is a detailed exposition as it relates the experience I received

during my six-month attachment to a development control agency UCCDA, where

I had the opportunity to see the theory and detailed practice of Urban and Regional

Planning in action. The technical report is actually written in Chapters as such the

first to the last Chapter captures everything in details

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITION OF SIWES

The student work experience scheme (SIWES) is a skills training program

designed to expose and prepare student of Universities, polytechnics/colleges of
technology/colleges of agriculture and colleges of education for the industrial work
situation they are likely to meet after graduation and most importantly to bridge the
gap existing between theory and practice of engineering and technology, science,
agriculture and other professional educational programs in Nigeria tertiary
institutions, hence SIWES is a course of study designed to enhance students
relevant productive skills and employability after labor and therefore is a major
requirement for an undergraduate of the above category.

BRIEF HISTORY OF SIWES

SIWES was established by ITF in the year 1973 to serve the problem of lack of
adequate practical skills preparatory for employment in industries by Nigeria
tertiary institutions graduates. It was mainly setup to enable students of tertiary
institution have basic technical knowledge of industrial works base on their course
of study before the completion of their program in their respective institutions.

The scheme educates students on industrial based skills essential for a

smooth transition from classroom to the world of work. SIWES training has
become a crucial precondition for the award of diploma and degree certificates in
specific disciplines in most institutions of higher learning in Nigeria in line with
the government educational policy. The scheme is funded by the federal

2
government. The scheme was designed to expose students to industrial
environment and enable them develop occupational competencies so that they can
readily contribute their quota to national economic and technological development
after graduation.

OBJECTIVES OF SIWES
The Industrial Training Fund’s policy Document No. 1 of 1973 which established
SIWES outlined the objectives of the scheme. The objectives are to:
1. Provide an avenue for students in higher institutions of higher learning to
acquire industrial skills and experiences during their courses of study.
2. Prepare students for industrial work situations that they are likely to meet
after graduation.
3. Expose students to work methods and techniques in handling equipment
and machinery that may not be available in their institutions.
4. Make the transition from school to the world of work easier and enhance
students’ contact for later job placements.
5. Provide students with the opportunities to apply their educational knowledge
in real work situations, thereby bridging the gap between theory and
practice.
6. Enlist and strengthen employers’ involvement in the entire educational
process through SIWES

IMPORTANCE AS IT RELATES TO MY COURSE OF STUDY

SIWES is not only a necessity in my course of study but mandatory, this is because
my course of study as it were, is a field that requires not only a solid theoretical
background but also a very good practical knowledge on the job, therefore SIWES
creates an avenue for this practical knowledge to be acquired. SIWES makes the
theoretical knowledge previously gained more realistic and applicable.
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 CHAPTER TWO
THE STUDY AREA

Location and Geography

The study area is Uyo Urban. This Area is situated in Uyo Local Government Area. It is
highly urbanized, virtually all parts of Uyo lie within the Capital City Development Area
(UCCDA) except Ikono clan. Uyo Local Government Area is bordered to the North by Itu, Ikono
and Ibiono Ibom Local Government Areas, to the South, by Etinan, Nsit Ibom and Ibesikpo
Astuan Local Government Areas, to the East by Uruan which stretches from North-East around
Ibiaku Uruan to Ndon Uruan in South-Eastern corner. It is located between latitudes 40 53’ and
50 04’ north of the equator and longitudes 7 48’ and 8 02’ east of the Greenwich Meridian. Uyo
is located about 55km from the coastal southern Nigeria. Figure 2.1, shows the map of Akwa
Ibom State indicating the Local Government Areas in the state, at the top right- hand corner of
the map is the map of Nigeria. Figure 2.2 shows the map of the study area with Akwa Ibom state
map at the top right corner of the map. Figure 2.3 shows map of the study area (Uyo metropolis).

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 Figure 1.0 Map of Nigeria Showing Akwa Ibom State

Figure 1.2: Map of Akwa Ibom Showing Uyo Metropolis

5
 Figure 1.3: Map of the Study Area (Uyo urban)

2.2 Historical Background

Akwa Ibom State was created on the 23rd of September, 1987, which gave Uyo a new
status of a capital city territory as it was the most centralized in relation to other local
government headquarters of the new state. The state is located at the extreme South-South
position in the national context, with a major southeast road from Uyo to Oron Beach, which
provides waterway to Calabar and Republic of Cameroon. The State is very compact in land
mass and consequently the various towns and villages are contiguous. Uyo urban traditionally
has always been the center of economic activities in what is now Akwa Ibom State, therefore
early road networks concentrated around Uyo/Ikot Ekpene Road which served few as the major
link to other states. The internal roads within the capital territory have undergone considerable
expansion due to urbanization to provide effective transportation route in and out of Uyo urban.
After twenty-nine years of its creation, the territory has expanded from the previous 10
kilometers radius limit to the present 15 kilometers radius area coverage with its Zero point at
Itiam Etoi (Wikipedia, 2015).

6
 Prior to that, the nucleus of Uyo urban was small village before being named the state
capital with a dispersed settlement pattern typical of South-Southern Nigeria. It was thinly
populated by peasant farmers. The village was bordered on the North by Afaha Oku, on the south
by Aka village, on the east by Anua and Itiam and on the west by Oku and Iboko. The name was
later used to cover the entire Offot, Aka, Etoi and Ikono Clans. Uyo was a Local Government
Headquarters in Cross River State, Nigeria. With the creation of Akwa Ibom State as a geo-
political entity on 23rd September 1987, Uyo then assumed the status of a State Capital. This
transformation brought about increase in population and human activities, land use dynamics and
by extension rapid rate of urbanization, with attendant challenges.

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Area
Akwa Ibom State currently covers a total land area of 7,249 square
kilometers. The area does not take into consideration disputed territories. It is the
10th largest state in Nigeria in terms of landmass. About 13.4 percent of the 960km
of Nigeria’s Atlantic Ocean coastline runs through the state. Towns include;
Towns include; Eket, Ikot Ekpene, Ikot Abasi, Oron, Abak, Itu, Etinan, Ibeno
amongst other. Uyo is an area that is endowed with a normal water table which
makes it easy for people to access water through the borehole system.

Demographic Study

Population
Series of population statistics have been complied at different periods in
Uyo. In 1931, the population of Uyo was put at 743 people. Another population
was placed at 50,939 (19775), 52,213, (1976), and with an annual projection of
2.5% growth rate as follow: 62,020 (1983), 63,571, (1984), 65,160 (1985), 66,789
(1986), 68,459 (1987), 70,170 (1988) the sex ratio is placed at 104 females to 100
males (Ema, 1989). During the 1991 census conducted by the National Population
Commission (NPC), Uyo had 244, 762 people with 120,875 males and 887
females. The 2006 census figure of Uyo metropolis stood at 2089,573 (NPC,
2006.) Using the projection.
Formula pt = po (1+1/100)n and projecting from 2006 into 2021 the total
population yields 3,383,018 at a growth rate of 3.5 percent (NPC, 2006).

Ethnic Groups and Religion

Even though the state comprises mainly of 3 ethnic groups; Ibibio, Annang
and Oro the urban area is predominantly Ibibio with other ethnic groups interacting
8
with each other. They are a sizeable number of the Igbos in Uyo urban which ply
their businesses on the major highways of the city. Along Udi Street close to the
Ibom Connection there is a large community of the Hausa’s. Due to the hospitality
of the study area there are virtually all ethnic groups in the country represented in
the area. The study area is mostly dominated by Christianity which arrived since
the days of the colonial masters and having; the Catholic Church and Qua Iboe
Church are the earliest churches in the area.
The people of Uyo by way of worship are predominantly Christians. They
belief in the existence of one Supreme Being. Traditional worshipping is still rife
with their unique shrines for their various deities like Idiong, Ndem, Ibok etc. some
of such deities associated with each of the four clans that make up Uyo Urban are
“Etefia” of Ikono clan, The “Afia Etoi” of Etoi Clan “Udu Oku” of Oku Clan and
the “Ukana Offot” of Offot Clan. Their belief is that, though they are different they
are messengers of Supreme Being that see to the peace, stability and well-being of
the area.

Economy
As a fast-growing state capital in the oil rich region of the south-south
geopolitical zone of Nigeria, Uyo has a lot of potential for business growth
especially for small and medium scale business. Due to the oil exploration and
exploitation, there is high demand for various investments, big and small, leading
to a large influx of people into the urban area. There are host of business activities
in Uyo the state capital and these are accompanied by various markets with the
popular Urua Itam, and Urua Akpanadem.

Language, People and Culture

Uyo people are of the Ibibio stock and speak Ibibio language. There are
unique traditions of the people which are expressed in Ekpo, Ekpe masquerades
9
and dances. The people of Uyo local government area have unique but various
traditions and culture. In mode of dressing, the dominant attire of an Ibibio man is
a loincloth “Unwanwang Ofong Isin” and shirt with Hat and staff to go with. The
women fold a loincloth as well generally called ‘Ndot Iba’ with a piece of it on the
head as head-tie with blouse to match. They are also blessed with delicacies such
as white soap ‘Afia Efere, Afang Soup, Edikang Ikong soup, Ubo Nkong, Efere
Ibaba, Efere Mbukpap Uyo and a host of others. In the entertainment, there are
various dances and other cultural plays like “Ebre” for women, “Asian Uboikpa”
for young girls and also the “Akpara” dance for women.

Occupation
The people of Uyo Local Government Area are predominantly farmers and
traders. Their area of trade is mostly on food items like palm oil and other palm
produce, vegetables, plantain, bananas, yam, cassava etc. The trade items also
include animals gotten from the sea like the fish which are sold sometimes smoked
and at times fresh. Also, they have ‘Obu’ crayfish, ‘Mfi’ (periwinkle), ‘Nkop’
(Crab) and other products from the sea. In recent times, most indigenes have gone
into transportation business (as Tricycle Riders, Minibus and Taxi Drivers),
establishment of cottage industries for the fabrication and production of some
household utensils and farm tools. There are other white-collar jobs such as
Medical personnel, Lawyers and Professionals in the built environment, etc. They
are also very enterprising, focused and productive. The civil service consists of
government agencies other than the military and police. Most employees in Uyo
are career civil servants in ministries progressing based on qualification and
seniority (Wikipedia, 2019).

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Infrastructural Facilities
Education
The educational system in the study area is controlled by the State Education
Board and the Ministry of Education. They are a number of schools ranging from
primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. From the educational statistics of
Akwa Ibom State 2013, the list of public primary schools was 47, the adult and
non-formal schools were 30, public secondary schools were 13 and there were only
2 tertiary institutions; Uyo City Polytechnic and the University of Uyo. Uyo local
government also houses some secondary and nursery schools which are privately
owned (AKSG, 2013).

Transportation
The city can be reached by road through different routes. Some of the known
routes are Abak Road, Idoro Road, Itu Road, Aka Road. Uyo is a fast-growing city,
as it has witnessed some infrastructural growth in the past nine years. It has an
intensive network of roads such as the IBB way, Atiku Abubakar Avenue, Udo
Udoma Avenue, Nsikak Eduok Avenue, and Edet Akpan Avenue which is a four-
lane super highway and currently the widest road in Uyo. The roads are so linked
up together that traffic holdups (if any) do not last up to 2 minutes. Uyo lacks
modern railway infrastructure as is common in most new post-colonial towns in
Nigeria, taxis, buses and tricycles are the major means of transportation.
Motorcycles are restricted to the city limits and the motorcycles are restricted from
operating within 10km radius of the city’s centre.
Regardless of where they go, it has been noted that individuals are exposed
to different levels of risk of crime. Particularly, for those who use public
transportation, individuals bundle their paths at specific points in urban space at
‘public transport nodes’. Transport nodes are not necessarily the foci for more
11
crime indices than other places in the city. Nevertheless, several studies advocate
that there are places where crime concentrates. Transport nodes are crime prone
areas and crime generators since they concentrate large flows of people creating
both a ‘blend-in opportunity’ for offenders and provision of several potential
targets. There have been several reports of criminal activities at public transport
nodes such as parks, bus stations loading and offloading areas. There are numerous
indices of crime in tricycles ranging from stealing to kidnapping, use of ‘juju’ to
compel victims to give up valuable goods and money in the study area.

Communication and Housing

Uyo urban is home to many notable housing developments such as the Ewet
Housing Estate, Osongama Housing Estate, Shelter Afrique Estate, Mobil Estate,
Akpasima Estate, Akwaima Estate, and Federal housing estate also called 100
units. The urban environment is notably neat and hospitable to foreigners. The city
is properly linked to the communication grid as around the city they are
telecommunication mast located at strategic stops. Notable telecommunication
networks available in Uyo Urban are Airtel, Etisalat, MTN and Globacom.
(Wikipedia 2017)

Health Care and Electricity Supply

The city is well connected to the National grid of electricity and there is
presence of electric transformers. There is also the presence of health care facilities
which includes clinics, health posts, health centers and hospitals in the area which
caters for the health of the residents of Uyo Urban.

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 CHAPTER THREE
THE ORGANIZATION OF ATTACHMENT

HISTORY OF UYO CAPITAL CITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

ESTABLISHMENT: Uyo capital city development authority was established by

edict no. 13 of 1988 with the aim of managing, monitoring, supervising and
controlling of development through the implementation of Uyo Capital City
Master Plan and to act as the custodian of the plan as well as control physical
development in the Capital City.

LAW: After some years, it was discovered that’s edicts were only used during the
military regime and not in democracy. Thus the law establishing Uyo Capital City
Development Authority was changed to ‘cap 133, Laws of Akwa Ibom state’.

When Uyo Capital City Development Authority was established, it was as an area
planning authority with a small coverage area.

LOCATION: Uyo Capital City Development Authority has been located at

various places such as Ikpa road, Udotung Uboh Street, Esuene Street and now
located at No 1 UCCDA Avenue Atan Offot where we have a new building
complex with perfect working conditions for Staffs and development control
equipment’s.

MISSSION STATEMENT UYO CAPITAL CITY DEVELOPMENT

AUTHORITY (UCCDA): The mission of Uyo Capital City Development
Authority (UCCDA) is to develop policies that are efficient for managing urban

13
land in accordance with the city's master plan, allowing for optimal occupant
comfort and sustainable use.

VISION STATEMENT OF UYO CAPITAL CITY DEVELOPMENT

AUTHORITY (UCCDA): To enhance conducive living for working and
recreation which will be made possible by a serene, efficient, functional livable
and aesthetically pleasing City

JURISDICTION OF UCCDA: The development control exercise of Uyo Capital

City Development Authority covers 10km radius from the center of the city and it
spreads across to a portion or part of bounding sub-urban communities. Example it
covers part of Itu and Ibesikpo local government areas.

LEADERSHIP IN UYO CAPITAL CITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

S/ NAME POSITION DURATION

N
1. Hon. (Prince) Chairman of UCCDA
Enobong Uwah 2017 till date

2. Mr. Anietie Secretary/ Head of 2019 till date

Akpan Admistration
-
3. Tpl. Freddy Heads of Town Planning 2019 till date
Eshiet

FUNCTIONS OF UYO CAPITAL CITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

When the Uyo Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA) was
established, it was given the following duties:
1. Equipping the City with appropriate infrastructural as well as other
necessary facilities and utilities.
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 2. Designing, creating and implementing Master Plans as well enforcing and
eliminating non-compliant developments.
3. To develop satellite towns around the city.
4. To promote the supply of suitable housing for the people; and
5. To maintain and enforce citywide building standards
6. Promoting efficient and compatible location of land in the city.
7. To establish residential, commercial, industrial, and other types of layout in
the city.
8. To develop satellite towns around the city.
9. To promote the supply of suitable housing for the people; and
10.To maintain and enforce citywide building standards

DUTIES OF UYO CAPITAL CITY DEVLOPMENT AUTHORITY

1. Proper land use development within the capital city, effectively coordinated in
accordance with the master plan..
2. Proper documentation of customer requirements.
3. Depending on the amount of money available, providing a suitable residential
style or plan inside the capital territory for efficient housing delivery.
4. Ongoing coordination, follow-up, and evaluation of all capital projects and
services provided by the authority to make sure the deadlines are met.
5. Adequate and timely public enlightenment on the activities and programmes of
UCCDA.
6. Production and sales of the authority’s Building Regulations to the public.
7. Provision of a sufficient local area network for access
8. Provisions of proper technical advice to members of the public on the use of
land.

CLIENT EXPECTATIONS

15
 1. Make sure they submit their plans on time by paying all required fees and
adhering to all regulations during the application and submission process.
2. Start building construction and finish it within 18 months of the approval date,
as stated in the UCCDA building permits.
3. Follow the UCCDA's policies, guidelines, and approval processes when
applying for permissions for construction plans, fences, or any other physical
proposals.
4. Acceptance of the scheduled dates for the site inspection in order to prevent
unforeseen delays.
5. Follow the recommendations, instructions, and advise of professionals.
6. If more information is required after plan submission, contact the office.
7. Once a stop work notice has been pasted, cease all development efforts.
8. Keep government rights of way open

DEFINITION OF TERMS AS GIVEN IN UYO CAPITAL CITY

DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY BUILDING REGULATION
1. UCCDA: An acronym for the word Uyo Capital City Development
Authority.
2. BUILDING: A structure built for the support, shelter or enclosure of
persons, animals, chattels or property of any kind.
3. DEVELOPMENT: The British town and country planning act of 1971
defines development in relation to land as “the carrying out of building,
engineering, mining or other operations in, on, over or under land, or the
making of any material change in the use of any buildings or other lands’.
The use of the words in, on, over and under land clearly shows that where oil
pipelines, water mains, telecommunications cables, electric cables, etc. Pass
through such areas are developed and need no further structures or
development.
16
4. FLOOR AREA: This means the area include in the surrounding walls of a
building or portion thereof exclusive of caves shafts and courts.
5. FOUL WATER: This means any water contaminated by soil water or waste
water or both.
6. HEIGHT OF BUILDING: This means vertical distance from the “grade”
to the highest. Point of the coping of a flat roof or to the average height or
the highest gable of a pitch or hip-roof.
7. PLOT: This means a parcel of land, part of which is or is to be covered by
the building.
8. PLANNING STANDARDS: Standards could be defined as a “level of
quality especially one that people think is acceptable”. In planning,
standards are the scale for measuring quality of an environment and its
liveability. Planning standards have two main divisions: - the prescriptive
and the regulatory standards. Planning authorities operate regulatory
standards which include among others residential density standard, plot ratio
standards, day lighting and sun lighting, car parking control standards,
highway standards and set backs of buildings. These are important in the
implementation of development plans, and function only after the plans are
prepared. They are used to evaluate and assess the efficiency and
functionality of the development plan
9. BLOCK: means a parcel of land, whether or not the subject of a lease.
10. STREET: This means the entries width between the boundaries of every
way which provides for public use for the purpose vehicular or pedestrian
traffic including the terms “road” highway” “lanes” “avenue”.
11. STRUCTURE: Structure means that which is built or constructed and
which requires a location on the ground.
12.NEW TOWNS: A new town by definition is an independent; relatively self-
contained planned community of a size large enough to support a range of
17
 housing types (high, medium and low densities) and provide economic
opportunity within its borders for the employment of its residents. The Gardens
Cities of Town Planning Association (1919) defined a New Town as town
designed for a healthy living and industry, of a size that makes possible for a
full measure of social life; but the whole of the land being in public ownership
or held in trust for a community
13. SURVEY PLAN: This is a diagram which has been prepared by a surveyor,
bearing his live signature and unique surc0n seal and certificate of deposit
from the office of the surveyor general.
14. ZONING: This is used as a division of a municipality into districts and
regulations within those districts.
15. EIA: Environmental Impact Assessment

DEPARTMENTS IN UYO CAPITAL CITY DEVELOPMENT

AUTHORITY (UCCDA)

i. Directorate of administration
ii. Directorate of Town planning
iii. Department of planning, research and statistics
iv. Account department
v. Estate department

UNITS UNDER TOWN PLANNING DEPARTMENT ARE AS FOLLOW:

i. Town planning unit

ii. Charting/verification unit
iii. Architecture unit
iv. Structural unit
v. Litigation unit
vi. Design unit
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 The units are briefly explained below to enhance understanding.

TOWN PLANNING UNIT

The town planning unit is charged with the following responsibilities:

i. Checking the provision of building line and set back provided in the site
plan to ensure that standards are adhered to.
ii. Conducting inspection and giving report.
iii. Verification of basic space standard
iv. Checking of scales used in layout design.
v. Checking the unit or volume of proposed building plan
vi. Checking of convenient through traffic within a landed properly.
vii. Checking conformation with land use provision.

CHARTING UNIT

Charting of survey plan is the process of locating a proposed building site to see
the sector and zone it falls.

Charting unit undergoes the following:

i. Verification of location of plot in the master plan. For example if a

proposed residential development falls under public land use, such
development will not be approved, but if it falls under the right sector
and zone it will be recommended for approval.
ii. Reprint and updating of acquire land.
iii. Writing of report and calling for physical inspection exercise.
iv. Confirm the activity of independent surveyor through clearance report
and feedback.

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ARCHITECTURAL UNIT

This unit undergoes the following:

i. Checking of ventilation and natural illumination to ensure they comply

with building regulations.
ii. Checking of functionality in design.
iii. Checking of working drawings and space standard.
iv. Checking of roof construction and design.

STRUCTURAL UNIT

This unit is charged with the following responsibilities:

i. Checking of structural details in storey building and other high rise

structures and give appropriate report.
ii. Checking of professional best practices.

LITIGATION UNIT

The litigation unit saddled with the responsibilities of:

i. Representing the authority in law court.

ii. Explaining the laws guiding the activities of the agency.

DESIGN UNIT
The duties of design unit are:
i. Tracing of updated plans.
ii. Preparation of layout/map.
iii. Division of plots and roads into parcels.
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DEVELOPMENT CONTROL UNIT
The idea behind development control is to guide, regulate, and direct both
public and private development in order to ensure that development complies with
a set of minimum standards, including building line, height, size, density, setbacks,
room size, floor type and materials, drainage, ventilation, fences, and penalties for
breaking any rules pertaining to healthy living and the built environment.
Initially called as the Area Planning Authority, the development control unit
was a part of the Ministry of Lands and Town Planning's directorate of Town and
Urban Planning.
As a result, the unit is responsible for planning, controlling, evaluating, and
overseeing development in the capital city. The unit is tasked with carrying out
tasks like scouting, inspection, demolition, and marking of illegal structures to
ensure strict and high-level compliance with building lines and setbacks, checking
of illegal building construction, and monitoring to ensure that approved building
lands are constructed in accordance with specifications and regulations.
As was already mentioned, one of the key roles played by the development
control unit of the Uyo Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA) is the
routine monitoring and demolition of illegal developments to ensure adequate
light, ventilation, play areas for children, open space for relaxation and recreation,
as well as to ensure that residential, commercial, and agricultural land uses are
properly and carefully zoned to avoid conflict and promote peaceful
interrelationships.

ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE TOWN PLANNING

DEPARTMENT

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 1. Offering professional and technical guidance to the Executive Chairman
on all town planning-related issues in Uyo Capital City.
2. Giving the "Authority" advice on how to create policies for physical
planning.
3. Developing and directing the implementation of the Capital City's master
plan, subject plans, and other physical development plans.
4. In Uyo Capital City, approval of all development plans on both public
and private land.
5. Interpreting the terms of the (UCCDA) authorized master plan's
provisions and supervising the creation of local, topic, and other plans
derived from the master plan.
6. Making fieldwork cost estimates.
7. Participate in the Environmental Impact Analysis Report Committee for
projects taking place within the boundaries of the capital city of Uyo.
8. Advising the Executive Chairman on the appointment of Master plan
review Technical Committee whenever the need arises.

REQUIREMENTS FOR BUILDING PLAN APPROVAL

For any building plan to get approval in UCCDA, it must undergo the series
of processes. Firstly, it has to be documented.

Documentation of building plan is the first step to plan approval process. This
is usually done with a documentation form. The form contains the list of document
required by the organization from an individual, company or the public before plan
could be accepted. These requirements are listed below:

i. Submission of registration fee receipt.

ii. A copy of an original survey plan
22
 iii. Certificate of deposit of survey plan.
iv. Land agreement.
v. Certificate of consent.
vi. Affidavit of plot ownership.
vii. Tax clearance certificate.
viii. 3 years rate ticket from any Local Government Area.
ix. 3 sets of architectural drawings (stamped/sealed).
x. Structural drawing (stamped/sealed), in the case of storey building.
xi. Site Plan Analysis Report (SPAR).
xii. Environmental Impact Analysis Report (EIA).

23
 CHAPTER FOUR
DEVELOPMENT CONTROL

Development Control help regulate developments on ground. Development control

is an effective tool used by UCCDA in regulating both public and private
development within Uyo capital city in their effort to achieve the objectives of the
Master plan. There are two main strategies usually adopted for development
control, these are; Land use zoning by which the plan specifies in general term the
major land use in each planning area, and the standard used in preparation of the
plan. These strategies help them in identifying those developments that do not
conform to zoning regulation as well as planning standard.

The Authority (UCCDA) is responsible for ensuring that all buildings in

Uyo City are constructed in accordance with the requirements for such
development as are typically spelled out in agreements. Monitoring is a means
through which the development control unit uses to ensure proper use of land
within the jurisdiction of Uyo Capital City as specified in the master plan. Due to
the actions of unlicensed developers, UCCDA is required to conduct routine
surveillance to identify anyone who violates any of the following conditions:
1. Building without approved plan
2. Building outside the specification of the approved building plan.
3. Amendment of building without approval for amendment.
4. Every authorized building plan must be put into action within two
years of receiving permission. As a result, any work completed after

24
 the allotted time has passed is deemed to have violated the
organization's building codes, and the structure in question is deemed
to be unlawful.

When such circumstances are present, the required steps are performed to notify
the contravention, and these steps generally follow the pattern indicated below:

i. Building number

ii. Date of the observed condition

iii. Location of the development

iv. Nature of contravention

v. Action taken

vi. Remarks

In Uyo Capital City Development Authority, there are two different marking
systems. They are:
1. UCCDA/DC/RE/SERIAL NO/DATE
2. UCCDA/DC/DE/SERIAL NO /DATE

ENFORCEMENT OF DEVELOPMENT CONTROL REGULATIONS

The enforcement of development control regulation is usually applied through the
services of the following notices:
i. Contravention notice

ii. Stop work notice

iii. Demolition notice

iv. Invitation for meeting

25
 v. Quit notice
These can be further explained below:

CONTRAVENTION NOTICE
This notice is served to an allotee when his/her property that has been developed is
against the town planning law. It is served also hen an allotee is building without
approval from the relevant authority. It is also served when encroachment is
observed, it is the first remedy.
It is important that contravention notice must show the following:
(a) Date served

(b) Specify the alleged contravention.

(c) Deadline to effect the correction of the breach.

When an allotee is served contravention, he is expected to bring all his necessary

documents, in case of dispute. The notice last for 21 days from the day it was
served.
STOP WORK NOTICE
This is another tool or instrument used by the development control unit to stop
unauthorized development in Uyo Capital City jurisdiction. This instrument is an
essential tool to curtail excessive development in the Uyo Capital Territory.
It is usually denoted by “X” followed by the initials of the organization (UCCDA)
and the department of Development control’s initials “DC”. This is denoted by the
picture below.

DEMOLITION NOTICE

26
It is served on an allotee sequel to serving other contravention notice, stop work
notice. This is carried out when an allotee does not comply with the relevant
building regulations and the previous two notices. Demolition notice has 21 days
notice of service expiration. It equally informs the allotee that the authority is not
liable for any cost or compensation, whatsoever suffers by you for any removal
property danger or destroyed during the exercise.

SPECIFIED STANDARDS FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION BY UCCDA

1. FOUNDATION:

Table 1: foundation specifications

Wall thickness Vertical measurement Foundations (minimum

from bottom of trench width)

0.102m 0.15m 0.31m

0.15m 0.23m 0.46m
0.23m 0.31m 0.70m
0.31m 0.32m 0.91m
0.46m 0.46m 1.48m
Source: UCCDA building regulations, 1998

Depth: depth of foundations has to be determined at the site by the soil engineer
but should not be less than 0.75m.

Concrete: foundation for building must be made of concrete and the concrete must
be mixed in the proportion of: 4 parts of coarse aggregate to 2 parts of fine
aggregate and one part of cement, that is to say the concrete mixture should be in
the ratio of 1:2:4.

2. WALLS:
27
Walls must consist of concrete, sandcrete blocks stones and bricks. Asbestos and
plywood walls can only be approved as temporary wall and glaring but not as
permanent walls.

3. CONSTRUCTION OF FLOOR:

The design off any building which is to be provided with reinforced concrete
floors, and/or roof and beams has to be prepared only by a qualified structural
engineer of architect, and the working drawings and calculations in respect of any
such building must be submitted to the authority for certification. Scale 1:100,
1:50.

4. ROOFS:

Roofs must consist of corrugated iron, aluminum, and asbestos sheet, concrete and
such materials as the authority may approve. Where any building is covered with a
pitched timber, roof, the rafter and tie beam should not be less in cross-section than
50cm x 10cm or 0.05m x 0.10m. The cross-sectional dimensions of the rafters, tie
beams, and all roof trusses must be clearly specified on the working drawings. The
maximum projection of caves at all the sides of the building has to be 1.2m for
timber roof and 1.5m for steel roof. Where there is concrete slab or concrete caves
gutter in a 2 or more storey building, there must be provided in the design and
access hatch with trap opening not less than 0.61 x 0.35m to the roof space.

TOOLS/ EQUIPMENTS THAT ARE USED IN DEVELOPMENT

CONTROL UNIT
Equipment used in the development control unit includes:
i. MONDAY HAMMER: This used mainly when partial demolition is
undertaken. It is used in breaking of walls of unapproved buildings.

28
 ii. BRUSH: This is one of the tools used mostly when marking
exercise/operations are being undertaken.
iii. PAINTS: This are writing ink when marking an illegal development or
serving a stop work notice. The colour of the paint is always red.
iv. SPADE: Spades are used on sites where illegal foundation are scouted. It is
used in covering those foundations that have not yet receive approval.
v. MATCHETES: Used in clearing the pathways to a site during site
inspections transvers, and opening of new roads.
vi. AXE: Axe is sometimes used in cutting down of iron pipes erected on
government right of ways and pulling down of illegal structures.
vii. CATERPILLAR: This is used for total demolition of illegal and
unapproved structures when intense work is to be carried out total
(clearance) where manual tools will not be able actualize the work rate
expected.

Hierarchy of Roads and Building Lines in Uyo Capital City

S/ TYPES OF ROAD WIDTH BUILDING FENCING

N LINE LINE
1 Ring road 60metres 45metres 30metres
2 Master plan road 30metres 25metres 18metres
3 streets 12metres 8metres
4 Lanes to compound 9metres 6metres
5 Access to compound 6metres 4metres

29
 CHAPTER FIVE
STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE
THE SIWES EXPERIENCE

This is a detailed summary of what I personally had the opportunity to engage in

during the 24 weeks of Internship in Uyo Capital City Development Authority
(UCCDA). It includes Lectures by the Industry based Supervisor Tpl. Charles
Ufot, in office technical work experiences as well as on-site development control
experiences, this is basically the summation of activities during the entire
internship period as such nothing new or spectacular outside of these occured.

Orientation

Tpl. Freddy, the Head of Town Planning, welcomed all us into UCCDA and
specifically into the Town Planning Department after we received our letter of
engagement from the Uyo Capital City Development Authority. Tpl. Charles Ufot
was assigned to supervise us, and before we resumed in our respective units, he
briefed us on the entire organizational setting of UCCDA, the activities undertaken
by various units, the rules and ethics guiding the establishment, and the things that
are expected of us as internship students.

THE VARIOUS ACTIVITIES PERFORMED

30
 i. Marking/Partial Demolition of Illegal and Unapproved Structures: This
was a development control exercise in which I participated nearly every day
of the week. Because the work is done by hand with paints, brushes,
hammers, and other tools, no specific skills are required.
ii. Scouting for Illegal Property Development: Scouting was another activity
I participated in while at UCCDA, and it was the responsibility of the
development control unit. It entailed gathering extensive information on
unlawful properties and where they are located so that the inspection team
could examine the current condition of the property.
iii. Involvement in Demolition Exercise

DEVELOPMENT CONTROL WORK EXPERIENCE

The development control unit includes two scouting teams, both led by Tpl
Iren, and I was assigned to The Head of Town Planning while also working under
TPL Iren for Development Control. The office job experience was discussed in
terms of the many tasks to be completed in the office.
During my fieldwork experience, I was tasked with identifying coding
tactics and demolishing unlawful structures in Uyo's capital city. The basic way
used to identify any illegal development under construction was to ask for a
building permit upon arriving at the site to see if the project had been approved.

For those sites that lacked a building permission or where no one was found, a
code system was employed to prompt the developer to reply. "RE" which stands
for Registration, was always used for developments that met criteria, but "DE"
which stands for Demolition, was used for developments that fell short of the
mark.

UCCDA /DC/ /RE / 421 /10/ /3 /2022

31

Year
 Month
Day
Serial Number
Demolition
Development control
Uyo Capital City Development Authority

In the event of completed projects, approved building plans were requested; if none
were available, the buildings were earmarked, and the owners were asked to come
and register their building plans with the Authority (U.C.C.D.A) to avoid such
constructions being demolished. Hammers, axes, and other tools were always used
for partial demolition of structures such as fences, gate houses, temporary
structures, sign posts, and so on, whilst machines such as Bulldozer and Caterpillar
were employed for comprehensive demolition of complicated structures to avoid
injury to employees.

LECTURES BY THE INDUSTRY BASED SUPERVISIOR

Tpl. Charles always had classes with all of us on the first floor every Wednesdays
of every week. He taught us several Urban Planning concepts even though it was
just a refresher on what our lecturers already did, there were still some new
knowledge gained that I never heard of before.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Blanket Acquisisition

The industry-based supervisor defined blanket acquisition as an area around

already acquired government land that the government can acquire at any
moment for extension purposes.

Hierarchies of Road

32
 1. Ring Roads – This road is the highest ranked road in the capital city with
the width of 60 meters and a building line of 45 meters.
2. Master Plan Roads – These set of roads has the right of way of 30 meters,
with the building line of 25 meters from the Centre of the road.
3. Streets – This is the third hierarchy of road; it can be a collectors or
distributor roads with a right of way of 15-18m with the building line of
12m.
4. Lanes/Closes - These set of roads, service individual properties in the city
with the width or right of way of 9-12m and a building line of 9m.
5. Access to Compound - According to the supervisor, this is the least
hierarchy of road in the Uyo Capital city, with the width or right of way of
9m and building line of 6m
Processes for Approval
Before any plan is being approved, it has to be documented.
Documentation of building plan is the first step to plan approval process. It is
usually done with a documentation form. This form contains the list of documents
required by the organization from an individual, company or the public before their
plan could be accepted. These requirements are listed below:
i. Nonrefundable submission fees
ii. An original copy of survey plan
iii. Land agreement
iv. Letter of consent
v. Affidavit of plot Ownership
vi. Tax clearance certificate
vii. An affidavit of plot ownership
viii. Tax Clearance Certificate
ix. 3 (Three) years Local Government rate ticket.
x. 3 set of Architectural designs duly signed by the authorized professional
33
 xi. Engineering drawings
xii. Environmental Impact Analysis report shall accompany
a) Residential developments of eight flats and above of four floors
and above.
b) All commercial developments including office blocks, markets,
warehouses, department stores, banks, hotels, shopping centres,
petrol stations, gas stations, restaurants, hospitals, and
clinics.
c) All institutional developments including schools, public
buildings, government offices, police stations, post offices.
d) All agricultural developments including poultry, pen house,
silos, fish pond, farm house etc.
e) All religious buildings.
f) All industrial buildings including factories, warehouses, offices
and buildings incidental to industrial development.
g) All recreational development including recreational clubs, club
houses, parks, museums, cultural houses, sport stadia, etc.

Blanket Acquisition by government

The industry based supervisor, explained blanket acquisition as an area
around an already acquired government land which can be acquired anytime by the
government for extension purpose.

Neighborhood concepts
These are major planning landmark that shape the urban form, having a healthy,
safe, decent, stable and affordable environment.

Functions of NITP (Decree No 88 of 1992)

34
 i. Advancement of public awareness on importance of working environment
and the necessity.
ii. Advancement of Town planning education, training research and tactics.
iii. Disseminates Town planning information through conferences seminars,
meetings, exhibitions and publications
iv. Establishment and enforcement of code of professional practice and
conducts of TPL practitioners in Nigeria
v. Protection of the practice and welfare of those practicing tow planners.

What Makes a Neigbourhood Unhealthy?

Lack of basic amenities and other facilities as well as utilities

Different Between Neighborhood and Town

Town is a settlement with residential district, shops etc. larger than village while a
Neighborhood is the immediate environment

Urban Sprawl: Overflow of population in an urban area which can lead to urban
decay etc. It’s happen as a result inability of an urban to cape expectations

Slum
Advance state of decay and overcrowded with no facilities and basic amenities
and is inhabitable

Urban regeneration: Making the town or urban new, well planned. The
programme of changing state of decay and highlighted area in town in other to give
way to modern and recent development.

Instrument for public Planning offices

35
1. Town and country planning laws
2. Zoning regulations
3. Building by-laws
4. Enforcement notice
5. Code of conducts and practice regulation

National Housing Policy

To provide housing for all Nigerians (National Building Code) these are the laws
and regulations guiding all professionals in the built environment on their schedule
of duties.
Urban Development Policy
Policy that guide development – Urban area

Planning standards and regulations

These are requirements approved by laws to guide physical development in a
particular area at particular time. It helps to prevent development of slums urban
blight and decay of a town.

TECHNICAL WORK EXPERIENCE

1. PLOTTING: I was involved in the plotting of building plans into survey

plans and other technical works, all of which were made possible by TPL
Freddy Eshiet and other technical employees. Mr. Idongesit James, a
technical officer, and the meticulous application of design abilities learned in
school. The purpose of projecting the building plan into the survey plan is to
confirm whether or not the details on the site plan are correct. The most
significant aspect of plotting is knowing the width of the road and the
building line, as illustrated in the table below.

36
2. Charting of Survey Plans: I also charting a couple of survey plans which
was all about locating a proposed development site to ascertain where it falls
within the territory. This charting was done by using Uyo Capital City
preliminary Master Plan as a guide. Charting was an activity that needed to
be done before a plan is approved and in most cases the proposed plan
always landed on government reserved area or free-building zone which led
to such development being rejected. In most other cases if it falls within the
appropriate area set for such land use and development, the plan will be
approved. During my stay in U.C.C.D.A, I was privileged to chart so many
survey plans for my boss and other officers.

37
 CHAPTER SIX

SUMMARY, CHALLENGES & CONCLUSION AND

RECOMMENDATION
SUMMARY/ CHALLENGES

After reading between the lines and pages of his report, one will realize that the
importance of industrial attachment, which was introduced in the 1970s, cannot be
overstated because it plays an important role in bridging the theoretical and
practical aspects.

Given the current state of the nation's educational sector, the scheme that was
introduced years ago has, in my opinion, turned out to be a great height to higher
education in Nigeria; I had the opportunity of acquainting myself with many
experiences and planning techniques that developed my skills in the planning field
and development. This scheme makes me happy, and I believe it is worthwhile to
continue

CHALLENGES & FINDINGS

1. Inadequate Public Orientation & Literacy:

The Uyo Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA) has made few
efforts to educate the public about its functions and the importance of
planning. The public often associates the Uyo Capital City Development
Authority (UCCDA) with building marking and destruction, despite the
authority's critical role in the city's coordinated expansion and development.

38
 This automatically makes every team of the authority on field work an
enemy to the public, who knows little or nothing about the importance of
town planning. The UCCDA's information directorate has issued flyers with
information on the agency's services as a simpler way to contact the agency.

2. Lack of Development Control Machineries/Equipment:

The availability of adequate equipment facilitates work and guarantees
that an organization performs well. Aside from certain manual
development control tools such as the Monday hammer, axe, spade, and
so on, the authority lacks adequate development control equipment such
as an excavator, which makes work easier, faster, and safer.
The development control teams frequently use manual
tools, some of which are no longer in good working order, making the
job more difficult and dangerous due to the delayed delivery, putting the
development control participants in danger with violent members of the
public who may feel deprived of the fruits of their labor.

3. Accommodation:
On the issue of office accommodation, the state and quality of the offices
and the environmental conditions are poor. Some features are evidence that
the building was converted from residential to public use. Such features
include; washing shanks and taps in offices, location of toilet facilities
directly opposite public offices etc.
We, the SIWES participants at most times were not accommodated by the
available space and other office facilities thus having to hang around until
sits are vacated either by clients or some junior staff of the authority.

39
 However, adequate provision has been made to address this issue as an
entirely new offices complex has been built and commissioned by the state
government for the agency.

4. Mode of operation:
As against the highly computerized, digital and modernized methods of
operations in some town planning agencies and other government
agencies, Uyo Capital City Development Authority sticks to the old
fashioned analog and manual mode of operation. One of such agencies
with high class modern day digital planning approach is the Abuja
Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC). A switch to the modern
day technological approach is highly recommended for easy mapping of
developments and tracing of files. Employment of qualified, certified and
competent library scientists is also recommended for competency in
relevant area.

5. Instead of informing the public about the norms and the reasons they
should not violate them, the authority is placing more emphasis on identif
ying and destroying illegal structures.
6. Delays in receiving authorization from the authority are not encouraging.
7. Because of the public's ignorance of development control, the developme
nt control team is exposed to additional risk, necessitating increased prote
ction.
8. Some authority figures who have professional positions do not uphold it.
9. The percentage of public developers who do not comply is quite large.

40
 10. The public is not well informed about the roles played by town planning 
as well as the authority's services.
11. As a result of unlawful activities and corruption among government
personnel’s, there is evidence of illegal structures throughout the capital
city
12. The capital city lacks a viable and implemented master plan since
updating it is becoming problematic and promoting uncontrolled
development.
13. The public has little interest in the process because government
development fees for approving building proposals are on the expensive
side.
14. The growth of the city has been dominated by political influence and
interference.

CONCLUSION
Although the strike period offered me a little time to extend my stay, the
student industrial work experience program, which lasted 24 weeks, was actually a
fantastic one, and I will always be grateful for it.

Looking back on the last six months of the industrial training, it was a very
important time in my life as a student and as a potential town planner. Without a
doubt, this curriculum has aided in the knowledge and experience departments. It
is increasingly understood how valuable practical knowledge is in comparison to
academic knowledge. However, it must be noted that just as theoretical
information is useless without practical experience, so too are practical experiences
useless without theoretical knowledge. To be a great professional, one needs to
have a solid balance of both those factors.

41
RECOMMENDATIONS

The following are my recommendations;

A. TO THE GOVERNMENT:
i. The government and key players involved in the project should be
prepared to assist the initiative through professional and financial
support.

B. DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
a. The timely release of approval to customers should be prioritized in order to
stimulate the public's interest in the process.
b. Political intervention should be avoided in order to ensure that professionals
govern the city effectively.
c. The state government should guarantee that the planning authority has
appropriate money to carry out its obligations.
d. The government should strengthen up security in the Uyo Capital City
Development Authority, given the level of risk undertaken, particularly by the
authority's development control unit.
e. The Authority should make every effort to control corruption and personnel
touting in order to allow for efficient development control in the capital city.

42
f. The authorities should prioritize the process of developing and
implementing a useful Master for the capital city.
g. After implementation, updating the Uyo capital city Master Plan should be
considered and promoted.
h. Adequate public awareness should be raised to educate the public on the
importance of obtaining approval prior to construction in order to avoid
damages resulting from demolition of structures erected by inexperienced
developers.
i. The adoption of modern technology is recommended, example the
digitization of Uyo Masterplan as done in other developed countries of the
world.
j. When students are posted for internships, accommodations must be
provided too during development control activities, students posted should be
treated almost equally during such activities.
k. Government and authority development and registration fees should be 
investigated, since they are one of the reasons why the public does not conside
r obtaining approval before building owing to expensive charges.

43
REFERENCES
Aluko, O. (2011). Development control in Lagos state: An assessment of public
compliance to space standards for urban development. International
Multidisciplinary Journal, Ethiopia, 5(5), Serial No. 22, pp. 169-184. doi:
10.4314/afrrev.v5i5.14.
Development Control and Guideline on Federal Government Lands, Foreshore,
Highways, Setback and Estate in Nigeria.

Federal Government of Nigeria (2004). National Policy on Education (4th edition),

Lagos: NERDC press Yaba, Lagos.

ITF (2002). Information and Guideline for Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme.
Jos, Plateau: ITF Publishers.

ITF (2011). An evaluation of the impact (SIWES) on technical skill development in

Nigeria. A Joint Study by ITF and University of Jos.

NCCE (2008). Minimum Standards for Nigeria Certificate in Education (4rd Ed.).
Department for Academic Programme: Garki, Abuja..

Obateru O (2003). Space standards for urban development penthouse developments

Nigeria

Uyo Capital City Development Authority (1998) building Regulations.

www.wikipedia.com/economyofUyo 06/19

Www.wikipedia.com/historyofUyo 03/15

www.wikipedia.com/Uyointeract

44
APPENDIX
A pictorial overview of the Internship experience

45
46