Urban development of Northern Nigeria: A case study of Nguru in Yobe state

Urban Development of Northern Nigeria is a big challenge due to serious security situation and lack of government will to implement the development plans. The present study is based on the appraisal of the only master plan of Nguru (1976) prepared by Maxlock group. There is no new master plan since last four decades. Nguru town is headquarter of Nguru Local Government Area (LGA) in Yobe state, northern Nigeria. It is located near river Hadejia at 12⁰ 52¹ 45¹¹ N to 10⁰27¹09¹¹E. It has population of 150,632 (Census, 2006) and an area of 916 sq. km. The town is comparatively younger developed on a rapid grid-iron pattern during 1930s. The topography of Nguru is mainly flat with a variety of landscapes as; Hadejia-Nguru wetlands of Nguru Lake and the Sand dunes around machine road. Nguru has hot and dry climate throughout the year. The economy of the town is based on trade and commerce of gum Arabic, groundnut, meat, hides and skins. The present paper is an appraisal study of Nguru master plan. The most significant problem of the study area is lack of effective implementation of the master plan. Extensive field work has been carried out amidst volatile security of the area. Among the major findings, the issues of land use are predominant along with poor plan implementation and lack of people's participation in the planning process. Some of the major recommendations based on the research findings include; strong financial support from government, strong administrative set up with trained professional form multiple disciplines and people's active participation in planning.