THE Surveyor General of the Federation (SGOF), Abudulganiyu Adeyemi Adebomehin, sought the creation of enforcement unit in his office to tackle encroachment of flood areas by home builders.
He made this remarks as guest speaker while on TVC News Breakfast Television programme.
Speaking on: “Mapping a Brighter Future: Enhancing Nigeria’s Development Through Accurate Mapping”, Adebomehin explained that floodplains are where some people like to go and build their houses, despite warnings on the danger.
Making case for the creation of an enforcement unit, he said the office has forest maps, but lacks the power to enforce compliance.
He said OSGOF has the relevant information and data on where the floodplains are in Nigeria.
“However, when people encroach, there is no special power given to the office to enforce compliance unless there is an act of parliament through enforcement that could make his office stop encroachment of floodplains in the country,” he said.
He also noted that OSGOF has accurate data and maps that identify flood-prone regions across the country.
He emphasized that absence of legislative support had limited its capacity to enforce compliance.
We have forest maps, environmental maps, and critical security-related geospatial data. But unlike security agencies, we do not carry arms or have legal backing to enforce map-based decisions. Anyone who ignores these maps effectively undermines national safety and planning, he added.
Surveyor General lamented the lack of consistent collaboration between OSGOF and some security agencies, stating that while some agencies recognized the office’s role and consult accordingly, others overlooked its relevance entirely. OSGOF is the only agency that truly understands and defines Nigeria’s geographic realities. Our data is sovereign and scientifically grounded. Yet, not all security stakeholders engage us before taking action on the field, he said.
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