…says surveyors have solution to SDG goals

By Emmanuel Elebeke

The Surveyor General of the Federation, Surv. Taiwo Adeniran has called for immediate review and update of school curriculum in our universities and Polytechnics to take into account recent technologies and development within the field of Geomatics.

He said the review became imperative to enable practitioners operate at the peak of the career and align with the emerging dynamics and technological advancement in the sector.

The SGoF made the call on Thursday,   while delivering his paper at the Association of private Practicing Surveyors of Nigeria, APPSM’s seminar entitled: Surveying Practice in Federal Capital Territory:  The Burden of Land Tenure System and Lack of Adaptability to Change, held in Abuja.

‘‘There is need for review of the curriculum in the training institutions and also for the practicing surveyors to acquire more skills on regular basis to be in tune with the current realities in the industry.’’

He said the practitioners in the sector must be ready to study and analyze their environment and prepare proposals to relevant government institutions rather than wait for advertisement in the dailies for jobs.

Surv. Adenoran identified land tenure system, capacity and the adaptability of the professional to respond positively to emerging challenges in FCT through innovation and acquisition of relevant skills as some of the prevailing issues that affect practice of surveying in FCT.

According to him, the paradigm  for survey practitioners has shifted from mere data gatherers for others professionals to use to becoming  solution providers, who he said must be  well  equipped to create jobs by aligning with the government agenda and emerging challenges in the environment.

While emphasizing the importance of surveyors in development, Adeniran said ‘‘without surveying and Geospatial inputs, the seventeen terminal goals of SDGs would not be realized.

‘‘All we have to do is to consider the goals and come up with geospatial solutions that can facilitate the realization of the goals.  Surveyors and geometricians must start thinking solutions because surveying and geometrics are about solutions. Our major problem is that we wait for people to create jobs for us, whereas we have to create it and provide solution for it.’’

He further called for expansion of the margin to strengthen the core surveying training and advised education institutions to increase focus on the global market place rather than focus on the national scene to enable practitioners to be in tune with the global best practice.

While urging practicing surveyors to think outside the box, he urged them to learn, unlearn and relearn and ensured that membership registration   be strengthened in line with the laid down rules.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman, Association of Private Practicing Surveyors of Nigeria (APPSN),  FCT branch, Surv. Sola Olukotun said the problem of surveying practice in FCT is not lack of efforts from the head of the major stakeholders but lack of understanding and funding from the political leadership, who failed to accept that surveying is the bedrock of every development.

For him, surveyors of 21st century should not be limited or contended with cadastral practice alone, but  look into other untapped surveying jobs like  engineering surveying, hydrographic surveying, application of Geographic Information System (GIS) in surveying related jobs.

He said there is also the need for surveyors to diversify into business areas to improve their finance base as businessmen.

He advised surveyors to participate in politic so as to defend their profession and take part in the policies concerning their profession and employed all the participants to put on all hands on deck to finding solution to the challenges of surveying practice in FCT.