Review Paper
Year: 2022 | Month: March | Volume: 9 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 138-151
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20220318
Planning Law and Federalism in Nigeria: The Dilemma of Implementation of the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan
Nwokaeze, Edmund Chinem1, Nwokaeze, Lauretta Unwobiyeuma2
1Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Rivers State University.
2Department of Private and Property Law, Rivers State University.
Corresponding Author: Nwokaeze, Edmund Chinem
ABSTRACT
Judgement of courts interpreting the Nigerian constitutional position on urban and regional planning as a residual matter in line with the spirit of federalism has created a quagmire as to the place of the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan and its effective implementation in States in the Niger Delta. This study is qualitative research derived from content analysis using inductive - deductive reasoning, from secondary data obtained from court judgements, Federal and State laws, law reports, journals, books and internet materials relevant to the subject matter to construct its position. Subjective opinions were intuitively canvassed in analyzing how the interplay between the Federal and State Governments affects the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan implementation. The study concludes that the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan remains a visitor at the doorpost of State Governments in line with extant laws and the federal structure system practised in Nigeria. It recommends the adoption of the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan within the legal and institutional development planning framework of each Member State of the Niger Delta and the activation of the Niger Delta Development Advisory Committee as a panacea to the dilemma of implementation of the master plan.
Keywords: Planning law, Federalism, Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan, Court Judgement.
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