The spate of building collapse in the country especially the high-rise ones and its attendant consequences such as loss of lives and economic detriment has become a major source of concern, and the Federal Government is leaving no stone unturned to deal with it.
As part of efforts to foreclose this ugly incidence, the 11th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development which took place in Sokoto recently has considered some memoranda critical to building collapse, flooding and for proper land administration submitted to the council by the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation (OSGoF).
OSGoF under the supervision of the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola who chaired the council meeting in Sokoto sought the use of surveying and geospatial technologies in monitoring high-rise buildings from of 5 floors in the country at an interval of 10 years.
If it receives the approval Federal Executive Council (FEC), surveying and geoinformatics would be used to help curtail building collapse, prevent huge economic loss and other threats to sustainable development.
In the same vein, the council also considered a memo of OSGoF seeking for production of topo-maps of coastal areas in the Nigeria on regular basis in line with the National Erosion and Flood Control Plan. Another memo was to encourage state governments adopt establishment of Geographic Information System (GIS) to reform land administration that would spur socioeconomic benefits for the citizenry.
Signed:
Abu, I. Michael
Head of Press and Public Relations
