BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
The Federal Government has pledged to support the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation (OSGoF) in implementing its core mandate of data collation, as well as improved staff welfare.
Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Works, Muhammad Bello Goronyo disclosed this on Wednesday during the familiarisation tour of the agency in Abuja.
This, he said would be carried out in line with President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, adding that the tour is an opportunity to grasp the unfolding events within the OSGoF, in addition to its critical role of advancing economic and social development of Nigeria.
"You cannot achieve your desired goal without having accurate data. This is one office that has been working for over 100 years. And because of the advancement in technology, a lot of equipment are currently obsolete,” he added.
Goronyo harped on the need for OSGoF to speed up its services in accordance with global best practices, since many Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) rely on them to perform optimally for national development.
He commended OSGoF in implementing its mandate despite the meagre resources allocated to the agency from the national budget.
The minister pledged to look into the issue of provision of additional Active Control Points (COPS) to assist the office in the performance of its duties.
The minister thanked OSGoF for the warm reception, assuring that he would constantly engage with the agency for a fruitful collaboration.
The Surveyor General of the Federation, Surv. Abdulganiyu Adebomehin thanked the minister for the visit, which he believed would provide a unique opportunity for them to speed up in appraising their mandates, achievements, challenges, likewise prospects.
The surveyor general informed that the OSGoF is one of the oldest offices recognised by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The duties of the office transcends popular cadastral work and four-corner job. There are now modern equipment used to monitor aircrafts' take off and landing," he said.
He listed the achievements of the office as providing the government and general public with relevant map, products and alternatives through user requirement analysis, capacity building to strengthen best practices in geo-spatial data management by collaborating with development partners.
Also, making appropriate policies in consonance with the changing roles of surveying and mapping; creating and maintaining a national repository of meta- data for all trigonometrical, cadastral, topographical, hydrographic and geodetic data in the Federation; creating and maintaining survey units in relevant Federal MDAs and supporting MDAs in the areas of mapping and geo- spatial information.
Adebomehin also noted that the office is bedevilled with inadequate budgetary allocations and untimely releases that hinders performance, inadequate office accomodation, aging staff strength, inadequate field vehicles, and insufficient COPS.
He stated that the use of data for national development cannot be overemphasised, saying that there is a need to assemble the data, collaborate as one entity and use the data for decision making.
While touring round its facilities, the surveyor general revealed that the FCDA had graciously permitted OSGoF to build more offices in the empty land behind its office.
He stated that some of the equipment at the Center for Control and Analysis are new but inadequate.
Responding to questions from Correspondents, Goronyo appreciated the good works at the agency, maintaining that data collation and dissemination are critical to national development, as no nation achieves growth without adequate mobilisation of data for mapping, food security and curbing insecurity.
This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday by the Director of Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Mohammed Ahmed.
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