Lagos – Former Minister of Industry, Chief Onikepo Akande has advised policy makers and governments to tap into the expertise of skilled professionals, if the war against climate change and environmental degradation is to be achieved.
Similarly, Akande, also a former president, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has urged land surveyors in the country to always deploy their expertise in land and disaster management.
Akande made the plea as the guest speaker during the 13th Adekunle Kukoyi Memorial Annual Lecture organized by the Lagos chapter of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS), which held at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Ikeja. The theme of the lecture was ‘Climate Change and the Role of Surveyors’.
The former LCCI president, who is currently, chairman, New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), a Nigerian business group, noted that surveyors have the knowledge and expertise necessary for adaptation to climate change capable of protecting the present and future generations on possible disasters resulting from this change in nature.
“You work with lands, people, political and social institutions in developing, building and maintaining towns and cities. This put you at a very strategic position to advocate and champion the agenda for protecting the present and future victims of climate related disasters.
“Because surveyors are the custodians of accurate land information and administration, it is important for decision makers to consult them for accurate and relevant information on land usage and its impact on the environment,” she reiterated.
While congratulating the institution for immortalizing an illustrious forbearer of the surveying profession in Nigeria, Late Adekunle Kukoyi, she, however, enjoined the surveyors to reach out to their various associations, and ensure that developmental projects comply with best practices and environmental standards; adding that prior to the completion of these projects, the safety of its beneficiaries should be of paramount interest to the surveyors.
“Surveyors play an important part in the development process. You are well-placed with a unique set of tools and knowledge that give you the professional responsibility to not only focus on your clients, but also on the environment. To achieve an ecologically sustainable environment, you need an in depth understanding of the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of a proposed development project.”
In conclusion, the former minister maintained that everybody has important roles to play in their personal and professional capacity. Their commitment in developing a sustainable environment should reflect in all aspects of these roles.
She also emphasized that the starting point for surveyors in the fight against climate change is a commitment to identifying and promoting global best practices and sustainable utilisation of land.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of the Lagos branch of the NIS, Adeshina Adeleke, remarked that the institution decided to discuss the issue of climate change at the summit because it is aware of its effects on livelihood. The lecture, he noted, affords an opportunity to brainstorm on the way to curb this natural phenomenon.
Adeleke noted that as the issue of climate change is a global problem and being discussed the world over, the NIS is also taking a lead, as stakeholders in environment and land matters, to add its voice on ways to combat the global disaster.
The annual lecture, the 13th in its series, is organized in honor of the pioneering past president of the NIS, late Surveyor Adekunle Kukoyi, who was the president of the Institution from 1973 to 1978.
