# Introduction he 21st century is a century of cities. Over half of the world's population now lives in cities, and by 2050 this figure may rise to 70 percent globally (UN-HABITAT, 2010). The unprecedented pace of urbanization has had a profound impact on the number and size of cities and has created a phenomenon called "megacities": (UN- HABITAT, 2007). This ongoing transformation to a global urban society offers an unprecedented opportunity to use the urbanization process as a catalyst for sustainable economic and social development since urbanization is a precondition for social and economic development (SDSN, 2013). State of World Population (2009) shows that the more developed countries are all highly urbanized; the least developed countries are all low on urbanization. However, the urbanization process in most cities of less developed countries heightens such conditions as lack of resources, poverty, inequality, the pervasiveness of slums and insanitation, overcrowding, housing congestion, crime and violence, and several other demeaning situations (Omisore et al., 2003;Ogunleye, 2005; UNEP, 2012, Adeboyejo, 2013; . This is particularly true of Nigerian cities which today are one of, if not, the greatest contributors to the urbanization profile of Africa (Adeboyejo 2013). The above-described scenario shows that there is a very intricate relationship between urbanization and development. While urbanization is a stipulation for development, rapid and uncontrolled urbanization threatens sustainable development. However, it must be understood that many urban problems are the result of poor management, poor planning, and the absence of coherent urban policies rather than urbanization itself. (Ogunkan, 2018;Ogunkan, 2017). Thus, while urbanization is quintessentially a demographic phenomenon, development is essentially a factor of urban management and planning. Urban centers become an engine of development and play a fundamental role in macro-economic development if properly governed, managed, and planned. The growing awareness of the role of urban management in answering the city's sustainability question has reinforced the increasing international interest in urban management. It is, however, regrettable that the scant attention of the research community to urban management and how it is influencing city's performance is a far cry from to the great attention directed to many other aspects of cities in Nigeria. It is on this background that this study examines the imperative of urban governance as the key to cities' prosperity, development, and sustainability. # II. What is Urban Governance? Urban governance is a subset of the general concept of governance that has been investigated worldwide by various bodies both at the local, national, and international levels. Therefore, when dealing with the concept of urban governance, it is essential to examine the general concept of governance. According to UNDP (1997), governance may be understood as processes, regulations, or the results of interactions between the legislative and executive governments, the civil society, the judiciary, and the people. It has also been conceived as how power is exercised in the management of the country's economic and social resources for development. It is the joint responsibility of the state, market, and citizens to mobilize public resources and promote decision making towards the common public good. (PRIA, 2013). Governance means a more cooperative way of government, where state and nonstate institutions, public and private actors, take part and often cooperate in public policy formulation and implementation (Mayntz, 2001). From the array of the definition of governance, it can be deduced that the notion of governance is broader than government as it incorporates a lot more stakeholders than just governmental agencies to include informal arrangements and the social capital of citizens. Therefore, one of the main objectives of governance is to undertake holistic developmental planning for an area with the maximum utilization of the economic and human resources available therein (PRIA, 2013). The term "governance" becomes more specific when we use the prefixes urban, rural, good, etc. with it. In this context, urban governance can be defined as the sum of the many ways individuals and institutions, public and private, plan and manage the common affairs of the city. "Urban governance" implies a greater diversity in organization of services, a greater variety of actors and stakeholders, and greater flexibility in the relationship between municipalities and their citizens (Aribigbola et al, 2013) In the search for a common ground to the understanding of the concept of urban governance the United Nation Habitat (UN-HABITAT), the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics and the United Nation Development Fund (UNDP) instituted researches to know the characteristics that constitute good governance (Egunjobi and Sani, 2010). Through these efforts, six principles of good governance emerged and twenty-five indicators were identified. The six principles are accountability, political stability, and absence of violence, government effectiveness, quality of regulation, rule of law, and control of corruption. Further, in 2001, there was an inter-ministerial committee set up to carry out a campaign for good governance in Nigeria. This might have been because the six principles identified have been violated in Nigeria. The campaign focused on issues relating to the constitutional reform and decentralization of power, participatory budgeting, improved urban safety, and the role of women in local governance. The communiqué issued at the end of the committee's work is as presented below: ? That the norms or principles of good urban governance be publicized widely around the country. ? That the campaign should be accompanied by capacity building of all categories of Local Government functionaries. ? There should be full implementation of the Urban and Regional Planning Law of Nigeria, 1992 to ensure the development of cities in Nigeria. ? That the current level of women's participation in governance is not acceptable and that the 30% participation as recommended by affirmative action should be advocated for. ? That program is developed in conjunction with the National Council for Women to promote awareness and enlightenment on women empowerment and gender issues. ? That the issues of corruption, transparency, and accountability should be addressed more seriously and that the Anti-Corruption and other related offenses commissions and Agencies be given full support in the fight against corruption in Nigeria. ? That the rapid urbanization in the country resulting in the miss-match between urban growth and the resources to cope should be addressed through the improvement of our rural areas, the promotion of medium-sized cities, and the enhancement of city resources. ? That full participation of all the citizens in all processes of urban governance including planning, budgeting, revenue mobilization, etc. should be practiced by all Local Governments. ? Nobody should be excluded from enjoying the political, economic, social infrastructure and other benefits of the city; and ? That poverty reduction is accorded top priority in all aspects of urban governance. (Egunjobi and Sani, 2010, pp. 14 & 15). From all the points raised in the communiqué, it is evident that Nigeria has a long way to go. It is observed, however, that most of the points raised are directly related to the functions of physical planners. This is because urban planning is at the center of transforming the cities into sustainable ones. The act of good governance is therefore imperative in developing sustainable cities in Nigeria in the 21 st century. It is equally important that planners should understand the process of and type of urbanization before any meaningful progress is made in developing sustainable cities. It is, however, important to note that the type of urbanization rather than the city per se provides decisive sustainable development. Although the pace of urbanization remains unprecedented across the globe, the patterns of urbanization have been diverse within developing regions and between developing and developed regions. While urbanization in the developed world follows a planned order, the urban expansion in developing nations is based mainly on the informal process. Consequently, developing nations of Asia and African develop more cities than their western counterparts. Therefore, one could not agree less with Dogan and Kassarda (1988) that the world is becoming more and more a world of giant cities, and these cities are increasingly located in less-developed countries. As a result, developing world cities, which are growing much faster than their developed-world counterparts, are particularly vulnerable to lack of resources, poverty, inequality, and vulnerability to climate change (UNEP, 2012). This is particularly evident in Nigerian cities, where there are growing inequalities, poverty and the pervasiveness of slums and insanitation, overcrowding, housing congestion, crime and violence, and several other demeaning situations (Omisore, et al, 2003;Ogunleye, 2005;Adeboyejo, 2013;. Consequently, Nigerian cities appear economically weak and may even be declining in real terms to fulfilling the immediate and long-term goals and aspirations of city dwellers (Adeboyejo, 2013) but they have the potential to be generative of growth and development like their counterparts in developed nations. However, to put their urban advantages to work, equitable systems of governance. The ability of Nigerian cities to replicate the functional and sustainable qualities of their counterparts from developed nations requires their management to take place within an understanding of the factors that are shaping the socio-spatial aspects of cities and the institutional structures which attempt to manage them. When governance systems ensure that the gains of growth and development are shared by all, cities are better placed than rural areas to improve the quality of life of residents. It is therefore within the purview of this study to examine the role of urban governance in the management of sustainable cities in the 21st century Nigeria. # III. What is Sustainable City ? In many countries, building sustainable cities has been considered as a starting point for the building of sustainable development (DESA, 2013), yet it is essential to understand the concept of sustainable development as a prerequisite for understanding the concept of sustainable cities. The concept of sustainable development is always connected to the Bruntland report (1987), which coined the concept and marketed it very efficiently (Sneddon, Howarth & Norgaard 2006). Brundtland Report (UNWCED, 1987), defines sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." The concept has traditionally been focused on an environmentalism framework that gives priority to the issues of ecological degradation (Nurse 2006). Thus it is logical to argue that the concept has been reinforced by a series of environmental disasters. As the concept of sustainability matured, further reflection led to a shift from a purely environmentalist perspective and toward a greater focus on the social and economic dimensions of development (Kadekodi 1992;Nurse 2006). The contemporary mainstream notion of sustainable development emphasizes the interface between environmental, economic, and social sustainability (Bell 2003;Nurse 2006;OECD 2011). The first attempt at applying the principle of sustainable development to city context was in 1991 when the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS) Sustainable Cities Programme attempted to define a sustainable city as one "where achievements in social, economic and physical development are made to last" (United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat, 2002,). Thus, the definition included the three pillars of sustainability; environmental, economic, and social sustainability. The fourth pillar was added at the first session of the World Urban Forum convened at the headquarters of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) in Nairobi in May 2002. The Forum affirmed that addressing economic, social, environmental and governance issues were integral to the creation of sustainable cities and that the inability to address those issues would prevent the achievement of sustainable development (UN-HABITAT, 2002). Therefore, the context of achieving the sustainability of cities can be conceived as entailing the integration of four pillars: social development, economic development, environmental management, and urban governance. The literature of sustainability studies has been saturated with issues on the economic, social, and environmental aspects of sustainability but urban governance is a relatively new concept that needs to be examined. # IV. Managing Sustainable Cities in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges One of the central facts of development and social change in Nigeria is rapid urban growth. The enormity of the challenges that come with this backdrop has been documented (Adeboyejo, 2013;Ogunkan and Adebojejo, 2015;Olokesusi, 2015). However, the most significant challenges, which have far-reaching implications for economic, social, ecological, and political dimensions of cities' sustainability are, as discussed. # a) Unabated and Rapid Population Growth Nigerian Cities are diverse in terms of their size, structure, spatial form, economy, wealth, local resources availability, and ecological impact but are phenomenal in population growth. Generally, the growth of Nigerian cities has been through both natural increase and unabating rural-urban migration (CBN, 2009). The natural increase in the growth is as a result of rising birth rates vis-a-vis declining death rates, however, much of the demographic expansion of Nigerian cities is through rural-urban migration. The rapid increase in rural-urban population migration is largely a response to the real or perceived economic and social opportunities in the cities. The movement of people from rural to urban areas is also considered an essential element of their household strategies for increasing and diversifying incomes, mitigating the risk of dependence on agricultural production, and improving individual and general welfare through improved access to education and health facilities. (AfDB, 2005). As a result of rapid population growth, Nigeria has the largest number of cities with a population of over 20,000 in Africa. According to Adeboyejo (2013), the seventy-four largest Nigerian cities have a total population of 36.6 million (24% of the country's total population) which is higher than the total population of Ghana (25.3 million) or 71 percent of South Africa's population. Although, Nigerian cities have benefited from this population growth as a necessary condition to unleash growth but have gained from urbanization at a price of environmental degradation and pollution, haphazard housing and informal settlement development, insecure land tenure, land shortage, deteriorating living conditions as well as the proliferation of deprived neighborhoods such as slums and squatter settlements (Omisore and Akande, 2003;Ogunleye, 2005;Olokesusi, 2015). Most Nigerian cities have heightened the possibilities for economic development, innovation, and social interaction. Regrettably, the social, economic, and environmental challenges inflicted by rapid and unplanned agglomeration of people have exerted direct and indirect effects on these cities and the lives of people therein. Therefore, Nigerian cities are a mere concentration of people and less of articulation of resources as well as the mediation of major functions of the global economy, unlike their counterparts in developed countries where urban growth is synonymous with a concentration of resources, development of trade, culture, information, and technology as well as industry with the cities contributing substantially to national economic growth (Adeboyejo, 2013). # b) Unplanned and Unregulated Physical Growth and cities Expansion Unplanned urban expansion has seriously outstripped the capacity of Nigerian cities to provide adequate basic services to their citizens. Therefore, the cities are reputed to have been characterized by nonfunctioning infrastructural facilities, extensively dotted with illegal structures, uncontrolled physical growth and development, and poor city management (Aluko, 2000;Aribigbola, 2008). The unplanned and unregulated physical growth and expansion of the cities have become the dominant feature and a fundamental challenge to Nigerian cities. The problem is most pervasive in such cities as Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, and Onitsha (Okpala, 2009). It is, therefore, obvious that most of the major cities in Nigeria expand without incorporating the major element of physical planning. This has enormous demographic and environmental implications. Most Nigerian cities, just like their African similitudes, have poor infrastructure facilities and deteriorating public utilities such as poor drainage and inadequate sanitation, inadequate water supplies, mounds of garbage and other solid waste, constrained mobility as a result of outdated physical layouts, or no planned layout, flourishing street trading, overcrowded, inadequate transport systems and inadequate and deteriorated road facilities resulting in overcrowding and congestion, and noise pollution (Okpala, 2009). Despite the effort of successive administrations in Nigeria in ensuring qualitative developmental control through urban planning, the problems of unregulated growth and expansion is still a fact of life in many urban areas in Nigeria today (Amujiri 2001). A master plan is a key planning tool that guides the growth and development of cities, it is, therefore, inexplicable that most cities in Nigeria lack master plans. Although some cities have this document, such plans bear so little relation to the reality of rapidly growing and poor to cities (Olokesusi, 2015). Moreover, such plans are grounded in legislation that is so outdated, that they are not implemented or are just simply ignored (Olokesusi, 2015;Adedibu, 1985). The situation is not helped by bribery and corruption that have become "cankerworm" among planners and urban managers, it is therefore not surprising that new houses and shops spring up especially in open spaces, environmentally sensitive areas, and derelict lands and often without formal approval contrary to the dictates of the master plans (Abolade and Adeboyejo, 2013). # c) Pervasiveness of Socioeconomic Inequalities Inequalities between rural and urban areas as well as within urban areas have been features of development and urbanization in developing countries (Cohen, 2006;Baker., ed., 2012). This is particularly true of Nigerian cities where the social and economic development is challenged by sharp inequalities not only between urban centers and rural areas but also among different socio-economic groups residing within the same city. It was on this basis that Mabogunje (1975) conceptualizes city as a social producta particular geographical concentration of largely man-made resources of great economic, social, psychological and symbolic significance -the consumption of which puts certain people at a relative disadvantage owing to both the location of such resources and their "externality effect". By implication, inequalities have pervaded every sphere of urban life in Nigeria and are reflected in significant differences in access to job opportunities and basic public services such as water and sanitation, electricity, education and health, transportation, housing, and communications. As a result, there is a growing gap between rich and poor neighborhoods. While the wealthy ones can move out to more spacious locations outside the city center where they even pay lower rent per unit of space, the poor often live in city centers with highly overcrowded dwellings in shacks that lack basic infrastructure and services (CBN, 2009). This dichotomy between the rich and the poor has solidified into a permanent divide creating new apartheid (Ibrahim 1997). By this divide, a Nigerian city can assume a bivalent status of the formal and informal city. While the informal city, usually occupies by the poor, is characterized by the housing of poor quality and with inadequate provision of water, sanitation, and drainage that put the lives and health of residents under continuous dangers; the formal city, usually the gated communities of the ruling elites, enjoys the advantages of city life usually at the expense of the informal city (Olokesusi, 2015). # d) Ineffective Urban Planning and Management Institutions There is no denying the fact that effective urban planning and management are the antidotes to the mounting urban challenges across the globe, but the most fundamental and critical challenge faced by urban areas in most developing countries, particularly in Anglophone (Sub-Saharan) African countries is the crippling weakness of institutions of urban development planning and management (Okpala, 2009). This is particularly apparent in Nigeria where city authorities, urban planners, urban managers, and other stakeholders have failed to effectively deal with the aftermath of the rapid urbanization process. This ineffectiveness is often manifested in forms of low entrepreneurial, technological and managerial capabilities, inadequate finance, a large number of the parasitic individual coupled with the inabilities of towns and cities to generate revenues to sustainably finance their selves (Agbola, 2005). Despite many efforts aimed at ameliorating the urban problems through the enactment of the plethora of planning laws and regulations, the institutional base and infrastructure for effective urban planning and urban development management is still largely weak in Nigeria and their effectiveness is threatened by inadequate technical and administrative skills and as yet the limited political will of planners to act according to the dictates of the profession (Okpala, 2009, Jelili, etc. 2013). Another fundamental challenge to effective urban planning and management in Nigeria is the lack of institutional structure at the local level (Okpala, 2009). In contrast to the situation in developed nations, the role of the local government in towns' physical development has been neglected and has excluded the local populace from infrastructure planning and physical planning (Alabi and Akinbode, 2010). The national and state governments have not allowed the local government, as an agent of grassroots physical development, and their instruments to effectively function. This has become an obstacle to effective urban planning and management in Nigeria. After all, Planning is only as effective as the administrative system supporting it, and the political philosophy, willingness, and commitment of the state in which it operates allow it to be (McAuslan 1985). Okpala (2009) observes that poor governance, corruption, and waste of resources is yet another challenge to urban planning and management in Nigeria and most other African countries. In total, Gyuse (2013) has identified seven major characteristics of our urban development in Nigeria. These characteristics include growth without planning, expansion without infrastructure, growth without autonomous financial resources, growth without employment base, growth without governance structure, and growth without spatial boundaries. All these characteristics point to the fact that our cities are parasitic rather than generative, and to have sustainable cities in the 21 st century all these characteristics must be addressed. # V. Achieving Sustainable Cities: The Imperative of Urban Governance The growth and expansion of urban areas, especially in developing countries, have come with a wide-ranged social, economic, and environmental challenges. As large cities grow in developing areas, the needs of their populations for ordinary services-such as drinking water, sanitary services like trash collection and sewerage, roads, housing, public transport, education, and health-become very insistent (Stren, 2002). This threatens the ability of cities to become viable pillars of sustainable development. As a result, the question "how can we make cities sustainable?" has dominated the debate on urban development at the local, national, and international levels. It is increasingly recognized that unequal access to, and inefficient use of, public services, as well as financial fragility and the harm inflicted by natural hazards required institutional, legislative and regulatory frameworks ((Fiorino, 2012; DESA, 2013; Aribigbola et al, 2013;Olokesusi, 2015). It has been posited that government policies, corporate strategies, human capital, major political forces, and decisions, investments in strategic sectors influence the fate of cities (UN-HABITAT, 2012). Therefore, a city that fails to meet the core expectations of governancemaintaining order, making and carrying out collective decisions, providing basic services-will not be able to sustain the ecological, social, and economic aspects of the concept of sustainability (Fiorino, 2012). Therefore, urban governance has become a dictum in developmental "dictionary" and the important factor in achieving sustainability of cities. Achieving the sustainability of cities can be conceived as entailing the integration of four pillars: social development, economic development, environmental management, and urban governance. The capacity of the city to achieve sustainability depends on its capacity to adapt, within the context of its particular history, to the policy priorities and goals defined by each pillar (DESA, 2013). However, the importance of urban governance as a coordinating pillar cannot be overemphasized. Although, until recent time, the sustainability field has failed to appreciate the role of effective, legitimate governance in enabling societies to sustain the other pillars of sustainability and maintain an appropriate balance among them, the imperative of urban governance to make and carry out decisions that are accepted as legitimate and ensure the survival of the other three systems has been increasingly recognized by social commentators (Fiorino, 2012; Aribigbola, 2013;Olokesusi, 2015). In recognition of the imperative of urban governance in achieving sustainable cities, scholars are constantly acknowledging the immensity of urban governance in the integration and coordination of other pillars in the areas of land use issue, employment creation, provision of health care facilities, provision of education, health care and housing, promotion of sustainable and inclusive economic development, promote people's right to the city, reviewing urban planning policies among several others (DESA, 2013; Olokesusi, 2015). UNDP (1997) points out that whenever good things are happening, people point to good governance. To this end, it was recommended that the institution for governance must not only be designed to function but to contribute to achieving sustainable human development, by establishing the political, legal, economic and social circumstances for poverty reduction, job creation, environmental protection and the advancement of women. Regrettably, since 1989 when World Bank declared that 'a crisis of governance' underlay 'the litany of Africa's development problems', the stark reality is beginning to emerge that many cities in African and those in Nigeria in particular, are not properly governed, a factor that accounts for their poor state and inability to significantly contributes to the national economy (UN-HABITAT, 2001; UN_HABITAT, 2008; Falade, 2010; Aribigbola, 2013). # VI. # Managing Sustainable Cities in Nigeria: Issues for Policy Consideration Having established that developing the capacity for effective urban governance is an important means to building and managing sustainable cities and given the prevailing socio-economic circumstances in Nigerian cities, the following are put forward for policy consideration in achieving and management of sustainable cities in Nigeria. # a) Planning and Decentralisation In the face of demographic, spatial, and environmental crosscurrents in Nigerian cities, it is evident that planning administration has not been effective in Nigeria. This is a reminder of the fact that so far, in most cities of developing world, planning has been unable to address much of city challenges such as the power relationships that have been at work to the detriment of a great majority of urban populace, the segregation of urban poor from the socio-economic fabric of the city, the unending environmental degradation or formation of the slum (UN-HABITAT, 2012) and the grafting of rigid and outdated planning law and regulations that encourage bribery and corruption (Egunjobi and Ayoade, 1987). Amid the perceived failure of urban planning to address the mounting urban crisis, a fundamental question of planning interest has been raised in the minds of scholars: why have these problems remained intractable in the face of many physical planning tools? The accusing finger is constantly been pointed at the weak and seemingly ineffective institution of urban planning in Nigeria (Alabi and Akinbode, 2010;Aluko, 2010;Aribigbola, 2013). The technical and political capacity of urban governments to deliver services depends on the space provided by existing rules and regulations. The traditional top-down approach to urban planning and management in Nigeria is not sufficient to achieve economically sustainable, liveable, socially, and aesthetically pleasing cities. Although in Nigeria, there is a devolution of power among the three tiers of government, the federal and state government control, interferences and domineering influence have denied the local governments of political identity, autonomy, and significance. Moreover, fundamental and constitutionally assigned responsibility to this tier of government is not being discharged thereby contributing to ineffective or poor urban governance in the area (Aribigbola et al, 2013). The local governments in Nigeria are also frequently under-funded and understaffed and thus unable to adequately fulfill the task required of them. This include among others, physical development planning at the grassroots level. Given this, local government should be reconfigured and repositioned to have a powerful impact on addressing poverty and improving access to basic services and infrastructure for urban dwellers. Local government should be made autonomous not only in terms of administrative convenience but must be backed by fiscal devolution. Decentralization works well when backed by a strong commitment and support from the central government (UN-HABITAT, 2006). Therefore, the local government must be supported by the central government in all ramification but the central government's interference in terms of governance, fiscal, project implementation and capacity building for planning should be reduced. # b) Reduction of Inequalities The growing physical and social division between rich and poor neighborhoods has characterized Nigerian cities. This urban divide has not only brought social and economic divisions, but it is also responsible for exclusion and marginalization. In Nigeria, institutions are not fully contributing to equity. This is evident in the growing proliferation of squatter settlements and slums which arose from a combination of the poverty of the inhabitants, a deficient national policy framework, and the weak, inefficient, and corrupt systems of urban governance within which they find Volume XXI Issue II Version I 52 ( ) themselves (Corbbet, 1991). It must be understood, therefore, that inequality in any form is a bane in achieving sustainable cities. Unaddressed socioeconomic fragmentation can jeopardize urban prosperity and pose a major risk to political stability (UN-HABITAT, 2012). Addressing inequalities requires political will, strong institutions, and well-targeted policies. This is reflected in most developed countries where urban policies promote inclusion, diversity, multi-action, positive discrimination, and pro-poor planning (UN-HABITAT, 2012). Urban governance in Nigeria must borrow a leaf from European cities where an abundance of initiatives has been introduced to promote social inclusion, and their benefit seems to have registered in the UN-Habitat "City Prosperity Index" (UN-HABITAT, 2012). However, this has to be done with reference to the prevailing socio-economic situation in Nigeria. In this regard, it is suggested that the government should be more committed to distributional equity in terms of infrastructure and social services such as health, education, housing as well as functional and liveable environment among many others. # c) Good and Effective Urban Governance Good urban governance speaks about the quality of urban governance. Governance can be defined as good when all the issues that make it ineffective are addressed, removed, or taken care of (PRIA, 2013). The fact that we speak of good or effective urban governance implies that urban governance may be bad or ineffective. We, therefore, analyze the positive transformations that are alternatives to the current format, which can improve the functioning of urban governance in Nigeria. One of the cornerstones to good urban governance is participation by both men and women (PRIA, 2013). The current "imposing democracy" where most governors of the states select their allies to manage the affairs of local government is undemocratic and does not guarantee good governance. Urban governance in Nigeria should encourage a participatory approach through representative democracy and participative democracy. However, participation needs to be informed and organized to ensure freedom of association and expression and to guarantee an organized civil society. Participatory governance does not automatically translate to good governance until it is made accountable. The principle of accountability in urban governance is not limited to governmental institutions alone, the private sector and civil society organizations must also be accountable to the public and institutional stakeholders. However, accountability cannot be ensured until the system is made transparent. The prevailing situation in Nigeria is such that the local government chairmen are accountable to themselves alone and to the state government that select them and not to the people they are made to govern. The system of urban governance in Nigeria should also be made to respect the civil and political rights of people. This requires that all individuals and groups, especially the downtrodden, have opportunities to improve their wellbeing. Besides, the full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities should be ensured. Good governance requires fair and just legal frameworks that are enforced impartially through an independent judiciary and an impartial and incorruptible police force (PRIA, 2013). If all the above suggestions will come into operation in Nigeria, it is imperative that planners now and for the 21 st century should develop along with the general skills needed to face the diversities found in the development of sustainable cities. These skills are thirteen in number as presented by the American Planning Association in recent times: ? Knowledge of urban spatial structure or physical design and the way cities work. Competence in all these basic skills would go a long way equipping urban planners now and the future to transform our cities into sustainable ones with the application of the six principles of good governance mentioned earlier. # VII. # Conclusion This study has confirmed that the system of government in cities and the traditional systems of the Volume XXI Issue II Version I 53 ( ) bureaucratic and top-down decisions in Nigeria are completely inadequate to cope with the enormity of urban challenges in Nigeria. It observes that the management of cities, that are sustainable, requires new governance systems where the administration, planning, coordination, and management of cities are seen as the joint responsibilities of various stakeholders such as local city governments, private enterprises, civil society, and voluntary sector. 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