Map services can aid fight against insecurity in our nation - Surveyor General tells security agencies

 

By: Clem Ezeolisah 

The Surveyor General of the Federation (SGOF) Abduganiyu Adeyemi Adebomehin has advised the security agents and practitioners to always engage his office when they plan security strategies and operations in the country, noting that mapping is an integral part of the nation’s security architecture  and Nigeria cannot be an exception if we must effectively combat current insecurity in the country.

The surveyor general made the remarks while hosting the former General Manager of  Shell Group and the current Group Managing Director of the Nembe Exploration and Production Company Limited Ike Okoronkwo with his management team in his office recently.

According to a release by Henry David, Head, Information and Publication Relations, the SGOF said, ”I don't know how they will be talking about security and they  don't know they  are going to use maps.  If they  can subscribe, we'll be able to give them  maps, we have been able to  digitalize everything.

“We call for paper presentation on mapping at a time only few of them were able to turn up while others were giving different excuses  but those who attended the presentation gave the feed as , oh, we can now see why we need this.”

 “What we have done is to digitize each of the states, and we have a database that we are attached to it, except where we are not fully convinced that we have enough data.“

Speaking earlier, Ike, a graduate of the University of Lagos with a degree in Surveying, said “Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation is a very important one  when it concerns special data mapping , management and marketing. What most people don't realize is  that in some countries , surveying was in  defence. Yes, when we started the GPS there was a deliberate effort to design it  for the military, so they didn't want civilians to use GPS and satellite imaging to  locate a place and then commit  crime.”

He said “we have implemented digital mapping and then I proposed to match that with spots images and all that then matching them together. That is how everything became the precursor to working today known as Google Map. “

The GMD said while stating his mission to OSGOF, We  are re-uniting and connecting with OSGOF and it is a great experience for us at Nembe Exploration and Production Company, and   It's my pleasure coming to this office to present to you the conference bag,  our company identity and others  . We pray that the country will go from strength to strength  because when I look at survey, when I came into survey, I never knew that surveying is worth talking about”