Mr Olukolade Kassim, the Chairman of Nigeria Institution of Surveyors (NIS), Lagos Branch, has called on governments to collaborate with surveyors in tackling insecurity.
Kassim made the call at the 90th anniversary of the association which coincided with its 39th Annual General Meeting and held on Wednesday in Ikeja.
The event had the theme: “Brain Drain and Development Growth: Impact on the Surveying Profession in Nigeria.
“I believe insecurity will be reduced to the minimum, because we are the masters of location.
“If an incident happens at a particular location, you will need to talk to the masters of location.
“Once government starts working hand-in-hand with us, the issue of insecurity will be minimised. We will keep contributing in any little way we can.
“If Nigeria is properly mapped, the issue of insecurity will be minimised,” the chairman said.
He applauded members of the association for upholding the ethics of the profession, urging them to remain committed like the founding fathers such as Sir Herbert Macaulay.
“This is 90 years of surveying. The lows include poor condition of practice for many of our members, but I believe that it cannot be at the bottom forever.
“We are working hard at making sure that, by the grace of God, things will improve and we will go back to those great heights,” he said.
On brain drain, the chairman said that transborder exchange of information and technology had minimised the effects of brain drain on surveying in Nigeria.
” ‘Japa’ is not just one way. We learn from them, they learn from us too. Maybe, there is some good we can harvest from it (Japa), because we are actually seeing that some of our members who go, transfer knowledge.
” When they come back briefly or send messages to us, they tell us new trends,” he said.
Dr Matthew Ibitoye, the NIS President, noted that brain drain did not affect the profession alone.
He said that economic hardship and insecurity contributed much to brain drain.
“If you have an opportunity elsewhere, then you move with your family, and that is another slavery.
“We are entering to another self-slavery because we are voluntarily going there to settle there, send our children there.
Every brain drain somewhere is brain gain elsewhere,” he said.
Mr Ayokunnu Adesina, the Surveyor-General of Lagos State and Mr Olufemi Daramola, the Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Infrastructure l, were at the event
The 90th anniversary kicked off with a medical outreach to 1000 residents of the state
