(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/figtraining-300x192.jpg) The Federal Government has requested the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) to assist the country in establishing and developing or selecting and upgrading existing training facilities to centres of excellence in Hydrograph.
(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DSC_0176-300x200.jpg)President Goodluck Jonathan announced this while declaring open the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) Working Week 2013 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, stating that the country would appreciate FIG's assistance in advocating for relevant donor agencies like the International Oceanographic Commission to assist the country in establishing a Network of Real-Time Disaster Ready Tidal Stations for monitoring and early warning signals in case of maritime hazards or related emergencies.
Speaking through the Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen, the President lamented that though the country is a maritime oil producing nation, unfortunately it lacked "Technical and human capacity in hydrographical surveying, in particular, due to the lack of approved course recognized by FIG/International Hydrographic Organization Advisory Board at Category A or B in the West African sub-region or even in Africa as a whole".
(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DSC_0247-300x200.jpg)Dr. Jonathan mentioned that in order to meet the dearth of professionals, the country has over 35 tertiary institutions running programmes in Surveying and Geo-informatics, adding that the government has in place a regulatory body (Surveyors Council of Nigeria-SURCON) under the supervision of the Ministry of Works, to register qualified surveyors at professional level, regulate the practice of the profession of Surveying and Geo-Informatics and ensure that practitioners adhere to the code of professional practice.
He affirmed that the policy trust of the present administration as enshrined in the Transformation Agenda, as well as, the Vision 20: 2020, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Land Reform Programmes, are expected to receive impetus from the sustainable, fast, reliable and effective service delivery on the part of the Surveying and Mapping sector through efficient acquisition, storage, processing and management of geo-information.
Mr. President also added that these contributions are critical to solving numerous contemporary challenges which include the following;
i. Security; through location of suspicious changes on the landscape using high resolution imageries such as Geo-Eye, Quick Bird, Ikonos or Digital Globe;
ii. Flood mapping for delineation of flood plains and inventory of all susceptible features within them;
iii. Wealth creation revenue generation through effective and efficient land administration practices by using improved delineation and identification of properties for taxation/tenement purposes using urban aerial photo derivatives;
iv. Erosion monitoring and control using high accuracy Digital Elevation Models (DEMs);
v. Coastal Encroachment Monitoring using Laser-based imageries to overcome constraints arising from cloud and forest cover as part of disaster and emergency management of ocean related hazards; and
vi. Infrastructure Planning, Design, Development and Conservation through Route Surveys, Right-of-way (ROW) Surveys, Hydrographic position fixing, Bathymetric charting, underwater surveillance, etc.
In his welcome address at the occasion, the President of FIG, Mr. Chee Hai Teo, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for hosting the surveyors from all parts of the globe and providing adequate security during the Working Week. In addition, he presented a shield to President Jonathan which was received by the Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen. Also, Mr. Teo announced that the Fellowship of the FIG has been conferred on the President by the Board of the International Federation of Surveyors and is to be formally presented at a later date.
Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria