Benin-City — The Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) has faulted the non-accreditation of surveying and geoinformatics programmes in the Nigerian universities and polytechnics across the federation, thereby resulting in acute shortages of surveyors in the country.
The National President of NIS, Matthew Olomolatan Ibitoye, expressed this displeasure at the 58th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and conference held in Benin-city, Edo State.
He said in Nigeria, there are approximately 33 universities and 34 polytechnics but only few of them have the manpower to train surveyors, which has negatively impacted the profession.
According to him, "Furthermore, I wish to highlight the urgent need for investment in our educational institutions to train surveying and geo-informatics professionals.
"Currently, these institutions suffer from shortage of qualified and adequate lecturers, resulting in a poor lecturer-student ratio.
"This along with other factors such as lack of adequate modern equipment and a poor teaching environment, often contributes to the non-accreditation of surveying and geo-informatics programmes in most institutions.
"Current statistics shows that we have approximately 33 universities and 34 polytechnics offering surveying programmes in Nigeria but fewer lecturers, indicating a dire situations."
Ibitoye, therefore, urged the federal government to urgently intervene and recruit more lecturers to man these institutions of learning so that the wide gaps could be bridged.
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The national president of NIS, while looking at how Nigerians are leaving the country in droves, appealed to the federal government to look inward and see how the issue could be addressed in the short possible time.
He further called on the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to help upgrade the Edo State Survey Department to an extra-ministerial status, and to be named the office of the Survey-General of Edo State which should be likened to its counterparts in Ogun, Lagos and other states presently.
Declaring the 58th AGM and Conference open in Benin-city, Obaseki, represented by his Deputy, Godwins Omobayo, welcomed the association to the state and wished them a peaceful deliberations.
The governor, further assured them that the issue raised as regards the upgrading of the Edo State Survey Department to an extra-ministerial status would be looked into and will be addressed.
