OSGOF appeals to senates to upgrade FSS to fed university of geomatics

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

Surveyor General of the Federation (SGOF), Surv. Abuduganiyu Adebomehin has made an  appealed to senate to upgrade Federal School of Surveying (FSS ) in Oyo state  to  Federal University of Geomatics.

Surv. Adebomehin said he supported  the bill for the creation of the University during his presentation at the senate general public and stakeholders hearing on the bill at the Senate building this week.

This was contained in a statement  signed and issued by Head, Information and Public Relations OSGOF , Henry David .

According to the statement FSS is about 106years old, one of the foremost institution that teaches Hydrography in the country.

Speaking further  on  the bill,  he said, “I am here today to equally support our Senators to move  the motion that this is a school that should be given the utmost attention because it is the cradle of surveying in Nigeria” .

The  SGOF  emphasized that “If you look at the crops of surveyors we have in Nigeria year to year, I want to say about 70% of us passed through that school. So it is not a good thing when we talk about technological advancement and we still decide to leave the school behind.

“ So I want to appeal to the Chairman of the Committee on Tertiary Institution and Tetfund to take a look at the school and see how we can upgrade the school to a university, so that the school can take some courses our people go to study abroad “, he said .

In  his remarks Deputy Senate President , Barau Jibrin said “we support opportunities for innovation, social development, inclusiveness and equity for all Nigerians in educational attainment.

“education is not a privilege but a right. We support part of the innovation that we need for many generations to come”.

Sen. Jibrin stated that “My participation is constitutionally imperative to ensure that our policies speak to the society and contribute maximally to shaping the institution of a refined and ambitious future”.

Similarly , The sponsor of the  proposed Federal University of Geomatics and the Senate Chairman for South West Development Committee, Senator Yunus Abiodun Akintunde during said “for the surveying and mapping sector, Geomatics is the discipline concerned with the collection, distribution of storage analysis and presentation of data and analysis of geographical information, Information Technology (IT) consists of product services and tool in the collation, integration and management of geographic data and it is recolonized by the UNESCO.

He said, “the scope of technological advancement has revolutionized many industries, infrastructure, environment, security and even health care; these are the things we need for emergence of modern technology such as clouding computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), GEO AI and machine learning.

“ The skill will keep Nigeria on track to the best possible international standard especially in the rapid technological advancement”, he said .

He explained that “if FSS is upgraded it  can boast human , infrastructural development and capacity to seamlessly adapt to a new feature as a university.

Also, His Royal Majesty, Alaafin of Oyo I, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade who was in support of the bill was also represented at the senate defense said “as a matter of fact, when other institutions were being upgraded, the School of Surveying was left out.  “So it is timely now to see that this school should at this time be upgraded to a University of Geomatics”.

He further noted that the departments there are really expandable and they have become autonomous.

He said “the institution has been offering diplomas, international diplomas, and postgraduate diplomas. There is not much to say about justification because I have said already, but I want to say that surveying is cardinal to land, and land is fundamental to development.”

Meanwhile, The six bills that were considered by the senate committee on Tertiary Institutions and Tetfund are as follows: Federal University of Health Sciences, Funtua; Federal University of Geomatics, Oyo Federal University of Education (Special Oyo), Federal University of Technology and Vocational Studies, Yaba; Federal University of Technolgy, OmokU; Federal University of Technolgy, Ikot Abasi.