By Emmanuel Onwusoro.
The Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) has suggested that proper mapping of the country is fundamental in addressing insecurity.
The National President of the Institution,Dr Kayode Oluwamotemi canvassed this while presenting a Communique at the end of the Institution’s 56th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Conference held at the Obafemi Awolowo Civic Center, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, from Monday,July 25th to Friday 29th, 2022, with the theme: Mapping Policies, Strategies and Spatial Infrastructure for Sustainable E-Governance in Nigeria.
The National President of the Institution, Dr Kayode Oluwamotemi, said the mapping of the country will show what is where,and where it was. “You will see houses,huts and you will see when people are mobilizing from the planning stage to cause havoc before the execution. For example, is Sambisa properly mapped to see each house or hut? Forget about the police and other security outfits. They are human beings and can work within the spirit of their strength and what is available”. The President maintained that maps are the materials actually needed to beat insecurity.
On infiltration of quacks into the profession,Dr Oluwamotemi pointed out that there is no profession in Nigeria that does not have quacks. But what matters is whether you have the number of quacks you can control or you cannot control. “In Surveying,we have the number we can control because we have rules and regulations in place. Quacks carry out illegal activities,and if they do anything illegal,we have rules and regulations to punish them. Not that we don’t have quacks,but we have been able to reduce them to a large extent”.
The National President identified some of the challenges confronting the Institution to include lack of patronage of surveyors by the government,adding that the government prefers to hire
foreign surveyors to the neglect of domestic ones, thereby at times downplaying professionalism. Lack of instruments/equipment for surveyors to monitor buildings,tarmacs and highrise structures.
It was also pointed out that locations are fundamental in the global trend of governance, but Nigeria is backwards in spatially driven governance. Similarly, roles of surveying and mapping in the realization of e-governance in public and private sectors are hampered by poor awareness.