Surveyor-General, says Inadequate mapping, surveying contribute to building collapse  

The Surveyor-General of the Federation, Abduganiyu Adebomehin, has said that lack of appropriate mapping and surveying practices also contribute to the recent spate of building collapse witnessed across the country.

Adebomehin who was speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, stated that many recorded cases of building collapse would have been averted if proper surveying and mapping were done.

“We have been hearing of collapsed buildings, bridges and so on, many of these mishaps were as a result of some form of deformation and alignment that could have been dealt with ab initio with surveying,” Adebomehin stated.

The Surveyor-General hinted that all buildings above five storeys should be monitored with guidelines that must be religiously followed.

According to him, “All super-structures should be monitored. Any buildings that are more than five storeys are supposed to be monitored and the guidelines on their maintenance should be strictly followed.”

He announced that the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation had procured a Ground Penetrating Radar System,( GPRS) to help in determining infrastructures under the ground, adding that the GPRS would assist during evacuation works to avoid destruction of things underneath the ground.

Adebomehin explained that the Office of Surveyor-General of the Federation, (OSGOF) was working in collaboration with Nigerian Armed Forces to ensure the protection of the country’s territory, promote security network and discourage illegality in the activities of surveying and mapping.

He noted that this was in order to maximise economic gains and boost Internally Generated Revenue for the Federal Government in the face of contending demands by various sectors of the economy.

He reiterated that the agency would ensure that geospatial data and other products and services were accessible to consumers and other end-users across the world.

Adebomehin also stated that the weather station and the data centre newly established by OSGOF would boost productivity and enable the office to discharge its duties by meeting its obligations to the government and Nigerians.