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Dayo Ayeyemi | Lagos
Special Adviser on Work and Infrastructure in Lagos State, Mrs Aramide Adeyoju, an engineer, has urged professionals under the auspices of the Association of Private Practicing Surveyors of Nigeria (APPSN) to revisit the Survey Coordination Act 1962.
According to the special adviser, this has become necessary in order to ensure that the law captures today›s realities, eradicate duplication of data and enhance service delivery.
Adeyoye, who gave the keynote address during the maiden National Conference of APPSN in Lagos, pointed out that the role of surveying is key to the successful planning and implementation of any infrastructural development.
According to her, the task of surveyors in nation›s building could not be undermined, saying, «there is hardly any sector of the economy that does not require the inputs of surveyors.»
In order to achieve meaningful and useful results, she pointed out that surveyors played important role at the initial stage of conceiving any project as they provided detailed information and data which determine suitability and selection of site and the best economical alignment in the case of road construction.
According to her, it has become the universal truth that surveys must precede any infrastructural development.
“The surveyor is the first link between the proposed project and its realization. Therefore the services of specialists, highly experienced and trained surveyors in a developing economy like ours cannot be overemphasised,” she said.
With the ongoing construction of the Regional Road in the Lekki Corridor, the Opebi Mende Link Bridge and the 4th Mainland bridge that is about to commence, Adeyoye said that opportunities abound for private practising surveyors in the state to render quality services for the vast estates and communities that would be created through these projects.
She urged members of APPSN to leverage on the excellent work their colleagues are doing presently in government, appealing to them to establish strategic partnership and collaboration towards the advancement of the profession.
“The surveyors in government cannot be left alone with the huge burden of providing necessary infrastructure services, they would definitely need the support of an established association as yours.
“It is my prayers that in the course of this conference, useful insights would ensue on how your association would further make itself more relevant to infrastructural development in Nigeria and Lagos in particular,” she said.
The Guest Lecturer at the occasion, Professor Olumide Moses Ogundipe, called on the professionals in the built environment to speak with one voice and work together as a team.
Speaking on the theme of the conference, «Roles of Surveying in Infrastructural Development in Nigeria”, he mentioned to the audience different divisions of surveying, adding that the first point of call in engineering is the surveyor.
According to the professor of Civil Engineering from Ekiti State University,Ado Ekiti, surveyor provides adequate land measurements, safety for engineering project, information about the natural features and topography, boundary accuracy, and improve construction preparatory work.
He added that surveyor is mostly required in the area of infrastructure, energy›s generation, distribution and transmission; and pipelines for natural gas and crude oil. «Information provided by the surveyor is useful in setting out transportation (rail, water ways, telecoms); urban planning and building construction,» he said.
The professor of civil engineering/ highway explained that surveying has economic, social and environmental impacts on the society.
Economically, he said that surveying provided certainty and stability, guarantee title and improvement of investment into the building industry by the provision of accurate boundary information.
Besides, he added that it increased sense of ownership, access to capital, collection of royalties and reduce the risk to an investment, adding that information provided by the surveyor has impact on tax regime of the government.
Socially, the university lecturer said that information by the surveyor would reduce tension and clashes among communities, help in the identification of monuments and places of interests, adding that surveying information also provides jobs and revenue.
*It helps in the establishment of the country›s sovereignty.
Environmentally, surveying information is used to address the problems of flooding and erosion,» he said.
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