Members of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Young Planners’ Forum (NITP-YPF), Oyo State Chapter, have engaged professionals in the built environment on synergy and delineation of roles.
The engagement was held at the grand finale of the maiden 2026 NITP-YPF Oyo State Chapter Week and the inauguration of new executives on Friday in Ibadan.
The event was themed: “Synergy and Delineation Amongst Professionals in the Built Environment.”
In her welcome address, the State Coordinator of NITP-YPF, Tpl. Opeyemi Ojo, said the maiden AGM was historic for strengthening bonds among young planners and other professionals.
Ojo said the theme was deliberate because the built environment is shaped by distinct professionals with statutory functions.
She listed town planners, architects, engineers, surveyors, quantity surveyors, estate surveyors and valuers, builders and environmental professionals as critical stakeholders.
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She noted that challenges such as rapid urbanisation, housing deficit, infrastructure gaps, climate change and informal settlements cannot be addressed by one profession in isolation.
According to her, delineation should not create rivalry but provide clarity, promote accountability and protect professional standards.
Delivering the keynote, the Chairman of NITP Lagos State Chapter, Tpl. Dr. David Olawale, defined the roles of the seven core professions established by law.
He said the town planner advises on where and what can be built, the surveyor defines the land, the architect designs, the quantity surveyor costs it, the engineer makes it stand, the builder builds it and the estate surveyor manages it.
Dr. Olawale said town planners are the visioners who decide the where, what and why of development, while architects are form-givers and engineers are strength-givers.
He identified ignorance and ego, client pressure and institutional failure as sources of conflict in the built environment.
He cited instances where architects prepare layout schemes and engineers sign building plans as planners, describing such as breaches of professional boundaries.
He also blamed clients who want one professional to do everything to save cost, and government agencies that collapse physical planning into works or lands.
Olawale said synergy is no longer optional because of Sustainable Development Goals, climate change, technology such as GIS and BIM, and modern investor demands for coordinated teams.
Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Tpl. Olufemi Akindele, Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Local Government Pensions Board, said mistakes by any professional manifest in urban spaces.
Akindele said synergy and clearly defined boundaries would help curb building collapses and ensure timely project delivery for a sustainable environment.
He urged professionals not to take jobs outside their competence, stressing that a town planner should not do a surveyor’s job nor should an architect do an engineer’s job.
The event also featured inauguration of new executives, panel sessions, awards and recognition, and presentation of symposium recommendations.