National Council on Works recommends establishment of surveying departments in LGAs

By Kunle Sanni

The National Council on Works has urged state governments to establish surveying departments in all local government areas.

This decision follows a recommendation from the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation (OSGoF), according to a statement by Sani Datti, Head of Press and Public Relations.

This initiative aims to strengthen institutional capacities and enhance the planning and management of infrastructure projects. The proposed departments are to be led by qualified surveyors.

The recommendation was highlighted in the communiqué of the 29th meeting of the Council, held from July 15-19, 2024, in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. This year’s meeting was themed “Unlocking Infrastructural Potentials and Opportunities as a Catalyst for Sustainable Development under the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

Additionally, the Council approved the integration of all infrastructural development activities with the Continuous Operating Reference Station (CORS) network. This network, established by OSGoF and private entities, aims to ensure quality control, quality assurance, and uniformity of surveying activities across Nigeria, in accordance with OSGoF guidelines.

“The Council further accepted the demand of the Surveyor General’s Office for the migration of all surveying activities within the country to the National Geocentric Datum (NGD) realized by the OSGoF, also for quality control, quality assurance, and uniformity of surveying data nationally.

“The Council equally called for support for Geographical Information System (GIS) Units in all offices of the Surveyor General at federal and state levels through adequate funding and training.

“Also, the Council advised the Offices of the State Surveyor Generals that are yet to upgrade to extra-ministerial departments to seek the advice of the OSGoF while those states that have already upgraded were also advised to fast-track the upgrade to substantive extra-ministerial departments.”

The National Council on Works meeting aims to assemble all relevant stakeholders in the roads sector from all the thirty-six states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory to deliberate on and adopt policy measures towards addressing key challenges of the sector.

The goal is to accelerate roads and bridges infrastructure development, thereby promoting job creation, social inclusion, and economic development.

Related Articles

Back to top button