Why practitioners want amendment to SURCON law, by surveyors

To further improve the surveying profession, practitioners have stressed the need for amendment to the Surveyors Registration Council of Nigeria (SURCON) law.

Although, the deficiencies in the law were detected before SURCON began operations, no amendment, they said, was made in the over 30 years of its existence.

Past president, Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS), Prof. Francis Fajemirokun, led the call at the 35th Annual General Meeting of Lagos branch of the institution.

Fajemirokun, who was the guest speaker at the event themed: “The Surveying Profession in Nigeria: Past, Present and Future”, traced the history, suggested solutions to the SURCON Decree No. 44 of December 1989.

According to him, a major setback within the profession is the recurring face-off between NIS and SURCON.

A good relationship, he said must exist between NIS and SURCON before meaningful progress could be made in the profession. The lack of such relationship sends the profession back to what it used to be 40-50 years ago.

He stressed that lack of unity had negatively affected the profession, hence the need for surveyors to unite.

He said: “With regard to section 2(1) of the SURCON Law, is there validly in a council when there is no president appointed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

“Can one be validly and actively involved in the work of the council for a total of five years when one’s tenure is three years?

“The surveying in Nigeria is like a family and should behave like one. It would appear that the old dichotomy between government and independent surveyors have crept into surveying practice in the country,”he noted.

Prof. Fajemirokun also lamented government’s neglect of the surveying profession in national development as evidenced by its poor funding.

Lack of funds (budgetary provisions), he said is a major factor militating against the profession in this country.

According to him, the attitude of government to information gathering and analyses of surveying professionals must improved.

He also identified lack of interest and political will on the part of decision makers to patronise the products of surveyors, as other problems of the profession

“Lack of geospatial data in form maps will certainly continue to affect steady, systematic economic and physical development of the country.

“ In the last 10 to 15 years, states had engaged survey firms (some in collaboration with foreign partners), to provide surveying and mapping data. Lagos State is one of such states. More of this is needed”, he added.

On his part, NIS chairman, Lagos branch, Adesina Adeleke, traced the technical development in surveying over the years in terms of instrumentation, methodology and processes and scope.

Adeleke, who noted the high cost of surveying equipment and surveying in the country, said the branch is tackling quackery and unethical conducts among members as well as improving relationship with the office of surveyor general in Lagos State.