Gombe Deputy Gov challenges Surveyors on application of technology
The Northern Surveyors Forum has converged in Gombe State to conduct their 2022 Annual General Meeting and J.D.J Memorial Lecture.
The meeting conducted at Custodian Hotel was declared open by the Gombe State Deputy Governor, Manassah Daniel Jatau.
Declaring the meeting open Jatau, challenged the Surveyors on the urgent need to evolve new innovations and technological advances in their practices towards achieving efficiency of records, revenue generation and overall service delivery.
He said, “The theme of your meeting as earlier captured is of great interest, importance, appropriate, necessary, and even inevitable, considering the events and happenings in many economies, Nigeria being no exception. With the major source of revenue thus oil being threatened by low effective demand; the tendency to get exhausted or even go obsolete in view of technological advancement and inventions, any alternative ways of generating revenue must be given the greatest and crucial importance it deserves.
“Still on the theme, the debut of electronic governance in environments where bureaucracy, its red-tapisms leading to disappearance and appearance of documents in organizations, Ministries, Departments and Agencies akin to the once dreaded “Bermuda Triangle” only electronic governance can ensure service delivery and effectiveness in organizations.”
“As you go into your meeting, the world is watching waiting to see how your profession Survey/Surveying has changed in readiness to adjust to the modern world, with continuous and constant changes. The society expects to witness more accurate and faster completion of jobs/tasks in your fields. Precise and unquestionable boundary demarcations at all
levels, villages, districts, Local Government Areas and between states for peace to exist.Improved and accurate revenue generation. Reliable fool proof documents for example Certificate of Occupancy and other such titles, to reduce the numerous litigations issues in our Courts of Law.
“Surveying and Mapping” houses in some very low income, congested settlements to enable them get a Certificate of Occupancy that they may use as collateral at any time the need may arise”.
” The selection of Gombe, the Jewel in the Savannah, to host Annual General with the theme CADASTRAL INTELLIGENCE: SURVEYING AND MAPPING POWERING REVENUE GENERATION AND ELECTRONIC GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA is a welcome development and a pride to the state having been so selected out of the 19 states. It was just in August this year that the state played host to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) NEC Meeting Similarly, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) plans to have their meeting in Gombe in the year 2023. All these meetings and many more activities held here have been a source of awareness or even of capacity building to the residents of the state as many people of the state are fortunate to benefit from the lectures, resource persons and sometimes some practical activities conducted by some of these Associations/ Professionals,” he added.
In his address the Chairman, Northern Surveyors Forum (NSF) Surv. Isah Abdulkadir Funtua, explained that the Northern Surveyors Forum is a corporate, non governmental professional Organization of Surveyors both in the public and private sectors who are working and residing in the Northern geographical area of Nigeria.
He said, it was established to cater for the welfare and collective interest of the surveying profession, to maintain high professional ethics and integrity amongst members and to speak with one voice on issues and matters affecting the practice towards developing and sustaining the survey profession in Nigeria.
He commended the Government of Gombe State for setting a world class GOGIS ( Gombe Geographical Information System) Office, appealing for greater involvement of Surveyors in all geospatial and land related matters for informed decision making, since Surveyors inputs are needed in all meaningful physical development.
In his paper titled ” Cadastral Intelligence; Surveying and Mapping Powering Revenue Generation and Electronic Governance in Nigeria”, the Guest Speaker, Surv. Malandi Umar Kura, the Special Advisor, to Governor of Kano State on Land Matters harped on the importance of Cadastral Intelligence in revenue generation, record keeping, and overall service delivery.
He stressed that the application of Cadastral Intelligence in surveying will ease the process of retrieval of records, allocation of land, and providing easy access to information gathering on position of land, in terms of ownership and type of activity happening in every plot of land captured.
The Chairman Local Organising Committee, Surv. Elkana Ishaya Tal, who is also the Chairman Northern Surveyors Forum, Gombe State Chapter, welcomed the delegates from across the North and appreciated the opportunity given to Gombe State Chapter to host the event, being the first its kind since the creation of the state in 1996.
He informed the Guest, of the rich cultural and natural endowments existing in the state which is situated in the centre of the North East.
He appreciated Governor Muhammadu Yahaya’s numerous activities in the state especially in the areas concerning their profession including the establishment of GOGIS, appealing for a posting of a Director of Survey who would work with the Deputy Governor in all Boundary issues.
The meeting acknowledged the articulate and enormous contributions of the Director-General, and Chief Executive Officer Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Prof. Samson Duna to the Surveying profession.
They noted his engagement in the design, supervision and construction of various types of infrastructures spreading all over the country.
The meeting drew in attendance members of the surveyor profession from all the nineteen Northern States.
Others present to grace the occasion were honourable Commissioners,Special Advisers Heads of Extra-Ministerial Parastatal and Para Military outfits as well as traditional leaders.
Highlights of the occasion include; the performance of the Koroso cultural dance troupe.
Jack Tasha
Senior Special Assistant (SSA) Media and Publicity to the Governor (Deputy Governor’s Office)
