Geodesists urged to promote research in universities

Participants at the 2016 assembly of the Nigeria Association of Geodesy, NAG, have been challenged to come up with a workable blueprint that would promote research and scholarship in Nigerian institutions.

They have also been urged to roll out result-oriented findings and suggestions that would promote national development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2016 national conference of the Nigeria Association of Geodesy, NAG, in Enugu, the national president, Prof. Francis Okeke, emphasised that research findings by academics remained the only option that could put Nigeria in world map.

Okeke, who was the dean, faculty of environmental studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) noted that modern education globally had shifted from theories to technological research.

According to him, “the conferences are occasions when active deodesists and NAG members have the opportunity to present the latest developments, highlight problems and formulate recommendations to the various issues in Geodesy.”

He said that the theme for this year’s conference is on “Geodesy and space science for sustainable national development”, and topics to be presented include – latest development in reference system and transformation parameters, prospects in local Geoid determination and positioning for Nigeria, space and Navigation Resources, space science and Technologies application to Geodesy curriculum and Application of Geodesy and National Geodetic infrastructure.

In a speech he sent to the occasion, the Enugu State Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, Ambassador Fidel Ayogu, re-affirmed of the commitment of the state to continue to protect and preserve the environment for future generations.

The commissioner who was represented by an official from the ministry, Dr. Chigbogu Sunday Nnaji, said as part of efforts to preserve the environment and beautify the scenery, as well as combat global warming, government had maintained its culture of tree planting along all major roads in the city centre.

While submitting that environmental resource management could never be effective without adequate geodetic infrastructure, the commissioner called on the association to immediately enforce its geodetic infrastructure, which comprised of both the horizontal and vertical coordinate systems to environmental management and sustainability.

Ambassador Ayogu, who received a loud applause from the participants for his wizardry in the profession had described geodesy as the science of accurately measuring and understanding the three fundamental properties of the earth: its orientation in space and its gravity field, as well as the changes of these properties with time.

Declaring the conference open earlier, the deputy vice chancellor, university of Nigeria, Enugu-Campus, Prof. Smart Uchegbu, praised the Nigeria Association of Geodesy, NAG, for living up to expectation and rising to emerging environmental challenges in the country.

The DVC, who was represented on the occasion by the former dean, faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, in UNN, Prof. Kalu Agwu, said that the university would support the body to achieve its laudable objectives and later commended members of the local organizing committee headed by Dr. Elochukwu Moka, for doing a good job, even as he re-assured them of their safety while at the Enugu Campus of UNN, venue of the historic assembly.

The Association’s 2016 annual lecture, titled Geodesy and space sciences for sustainable national development, was delivered by his Royal Highness, Emeritus Professor Dagogo Fubara while Professors Christian Ezeigbo and Matthew Ono and Miss Enweluzor Ogochukwu of the Oko Polytechnic were among participants who presented papers.