The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has reiterated the role of geospatial techniques and surveying to Nigeria’s economic and infrastructural development.
Fashola said surveying had become more relevant in national planning following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, which has hampered physical interactions.
The minister spoke on Tuesday through Zoom in his keynote address to the 2020 Survey Coordination Conference and Meeting of the Advisory Board on Survey Training taking place in Abuja.
In his opening remarks at the three-day conference, Fashola noted that this year’s conference theme: “Geospatial Information: Achievement of SDGs and Good Governance,” was essential in adequately factoring the provision of critical infrastructure such as roads and housing to the Nigerian populace, using geospatial data for the purposes of national planning and development.
“Geospatial products will be in greater demand, especially now that social distancing is encouraged as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that has negatively affected physical interactions.”
While delivering his welcome address, the Surveyor General of the Federation, Taiwo Adeniran, underscored the imperatives holding regular meetings between the Surveyors General of all the States of the federation, the armed forces and academia, with a view to strategising on delivering the country’s development agenda.
The Surveyor General of the federation explained that “geospatial information is a tool to track, monitor, analyse and manage any occurrence that has a location or temporal element, and more importantly to project/forecast models and analysis of potential consequences from policy and events.”
He said the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could only be achieved through geospatial information.
Adeniran lauded President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration and the United Nations for its support towards the realisation of this year’s conference.
