Mr. Babatunde Fashola
No fewer than 267 new surveyors were formally confirmed in Abuja by the Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON) recently as professionals that are qualified to practise within and outside the country, thus bringing the total number of registered surveyors in the country to 3, 627.
In his goodwill message at the ceremony organised to welcome new entrants into the profession, the Chief Host and Hon. Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, represented by the Hon. Minister of State II, Surv. Suleiman Hassan congratulated the inductees for making it to final stage of joining their senior colleagues in the profession, urged them to abide strictly by the standards of the career they have chosen to pursue and write their names in gold.
Said he: “I bring you warm felicitations from the Hon. Minister and urge you, as you collect your certificate today, to go and practice professionally, knowing that this government, more than ever before, believes so much in the contribution of professionals in other to bring about the desired infrastructural development.
“The federal government has invested seriously in infrastructure. In the real sector alone, we have made the commitment of about N2.7 trillion. Commitments have been made in sectors like Agriculture, mining, roads among others.
“If you believe in the ability of this profession to contribute to the economic growth of this country, you have to identify where you belong. You already have the basic training and have been certificated for that; all you need is to put the knowledge into practice in line with professional standards. I congratulate you all.
Earlier in his opening address, the President of SURCON, Surv, Joseph Agbenla had urged the inductees to uphold the ethnics of the profession as anyone found wanting in the course of practice may have his or her certificate, which remains a property of SURCON, withdrawn.
Congratulating the inductees and wishing them a fruitful career, Surv. Agbenla said, “I am highly confident knowing full well that you will always remember that the seal of the certificate you are all having today belongs to the Surveyors Council of Nigeria and may be recalled by the council if your professional conduct contradicts the rules, regulations, and ethics if the surveying profession.”
In his remark, the Surveyor-General of the Federation, Surv. Ebisintei Awudu, having congratulated the inductees, urged them to keep building on their capacity and ensure that their practice add more value to the profession, adding that his office is doing all it can to ensure that task of mapping and surveying becomes easier than it used to be for practitioners.
“By the constitution of Nigeria, the office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGOG) is principally mandated to do cadastral survey, geological survey and several other types of survey. At OSGOF we are working to ensure that our constitutional mandate is carried out at its best. We are working to ensure we have some unmanned aerial systems to make information gathering easier as a way out of the challenge of poor visibility and to establish more core stations,” he said.
