•Adeyeye advises them to form formidable partnerships

By Gbenga Olarinoye, Osogbo

APPARENTLY worried by unreliable national census figures and the irregularities that bedevil general elections in the country, the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors, NIS has called on the Federal Government to urgently set up a mapping or survey commission.

The Surveyors further claimed that environmental degradation and other related issues such as the activities of the dreaded Boko Haram, would have long been solved if the Federal Government had set up the commission

NIS President, Mr. Bern Omo Akhigbe who spoke on behalf of the surveyors at 32nd Olumide memorial lecture in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, called on the government to make use of the services of surveyors in solving the mirage of environmental  problems in the country. Akhigbe explained that some of the environmental problems bedeviling this country would have been prevented if the the services of surveyors were utilised by the government and its agencies.

He specifically pointed to the erosion menace which is wiping away some communities in the eastern part of the country, and claimed that the scourge would have been prevented if the services of qualified surveyors were employed by the government.

He stated that satellite imagery being used in certain areas can never replace mapping surveys and advised those in government to take note of this for the good health of the country.

The NIS President stated that proper mapping or survey of the country is a precondition for accurate population figures and credible elections in Nigeria. “If we want credible elections in this country, we can not achieve this without proper survey and mapping of the country. Experience has shown in this country that manipulation of elections are achieved as a result of lack of good and proper mapping of the country. I can not imaging a situation where you have a Ministry of Environment without a survey department. It is not about creating jobs for our members, but for the economic development of the country,” he added. Mr. Akhigbe statd that the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan will only be meaningful and achieve the desired result if only government partners with the Institution.

In his lecture, titled Continuing the Olumide Legacy for a Prosperous Nation, the Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, challenged members of the NIS to play their professional role in combating the scourge of gulley and flood erosion in Nigeria. Represented by his Personal Assistant on Technical Matters, Mr Eyitayo Aluko, an engineer, the Minister stated that in many developed economics of the world, the use of spatially enabled information has brought about enormous and sustainable development.

Adeyeye challenged surveyors in the country to pull their resources together to form partnerships. “ How are surveyors practising their profession today? Is it still at the level of one man office practice whose pre-occupation is to survey plots for individuals, a practice for which the profession has been known over time and which made the general public wonder the depth of knowledge of surveyors withe respect to their learning and knowledge.

Development efforts

This is because the dynamics have since changed. Professionals such as lawyers and engineers have long realised this. This is why in some law or engineering firms, there may be as many as 20 professionals in each,” he said.

“For surveyors to impact more positively on Nigeria’s development efforts, they need to form formidable teams so as to compete more favourably with the multi-nationals. This approach is strongly recommended for jobs in the oil and gas sector of the economy. Therefore, surveyors should take advantage of Federal government’s local content policy in the sector to improve their skills and earnings”, he added.

Late Surveyor Cyprian Theodosius Olumide in whose honour the annual lecture is organised, was the first president of the institution between 1965 and 1971.