Surveyors Pledge Support For Lagos Blue Economy

The Nigerian Institution of Surveyors has pledged to help the Lagos State Government to unlock the potential of its blue economy through innovation.

The Lagos Branch Chairman of the institute, Olukolade Kasim, stated this in Lagos during its Annual General Meeting and investiture of the 15th chairman of the Lagos Branch/swearing-in of other executives in Lagos, recently.

The event had the theme “Unlocking the Potential of the Lagos State Blue Economy through Surveying Innovations”.

Kasim said 25 per cent of the state is surrounded by water, hence, the need to explore opportunities to unlock the blue economy.

He said, “Surveyors have a branch called hydrograph, which has experts who could determine the depth of water bodies and creeks, to help the government chart the navigable paths for water transportation.”

Citing the Lagos Lagoon as an example of a place surveyors had carried out hydrographic works, he said the experts could use scanners to check sea beds to explore several opportunities.

He added, “At the end of the day, we want to showcase to the government areas where we can contribute as professionals in that sector.”

The Chairperson of the AGM, Patricia Okoeguale, said people were unclear on the role of surveyors, adding that their operations extended beyond land to the sea, to harness opportunities hidden in the water.

“Surveyors are needed to tell the depth of waters before dredging could take place. We have the equipment and we have the human resources to do all of those,” Okoeguale said.

According to the guest speaker at the event, Bankole Falaye, the blue economy has to do with how to leverage the resources of the ocean to better human life, to grow its economy sustainably.

Falaye said that the oceans occupy about 70 to 80 per cent of the earth’s surface, adding that more than 80 per cent of the world’s resources are hidden in them.

He said, “The ocean holds gold estimated to cost about $140tn; humans have explored only about 30 per cent of ocean resources. There are huge opportunities available for Lagos and Nigeria to tap from.

“Apart from charting the path for transportation, the Lagos State Government could explore tourism, aquaculture, and fisheries. The government is trying but could do more offshore, where fishing trawlers were illegally taking fish and other resources free out of Nigeria.”

The guest speaker urged the government to come up with policies to regulate fishing and other minerals to earn huge revenue.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Yacoob Alebiosu, said there was so much money in the sector and the focus must shift from petroleum.

“If Nigeria can explore the blue economy, it will be a great success instead of having all our eggs in one basket,” he remarked.

Olusola Akintonde/Punch