Politics
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, CON, (centre ) flanked by the Permanent Secretaries OSGF and members of Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON) in a group photograph during the inauguration ceremony Surveyor-Generals of States on Tuesday, 21st July, 2026 in Abuja.
…reinforces commitment to geospatial innovation and national security
THE secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Senator George Akume has inducted the 10th Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON).
The ceremony represents a landmark step in strengthening Nigeria’s geospatial governance and digital modernisation agenda.
In his address during the inaugural ceremony that took place today, July 21, in Abuja, Senator Akume highlighted the evolving landscape of surveying and geospatial technology, while emphasising the critical role of SURCON in advancing Nigeria’s geospatial infrastructure, regulating and licensing surveying professionals and promoting best practices.
“In this era of rapid digital transformation, Nigeria’s future depends on a robust national geospatial data infrastructure which must be standardised to ensure seamless interoperability,” he said.
The SGF underscored the importance of updating licensing standards to include competencies in modern geospatial tools, enforcing digital practice standards and strengthening monitoring in the Oil and Gas, Mining Sectors and National Boundary Management.
Akume stressed that the inauguration marks a strategic move by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to integrate geospatial intelligence into national planning and security frameworks, ensuring that decisions are informed by verified spatial data.
“The decision to move the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation under the direct purview of the Presidency has elevated Nigeria’s Geospatial governance to the strategic level it deserves. Surveying is the backbone of national planning. Placing the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation under the Presidency aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda’s emphasis on transparency, infrastructure expansion, digital modernisation and efficient land administration.
“This has strengthened coordination across Ministries, accelerated the development of a unified national geospatial data infrastructure and will ensure that critical decisions are informed by authoritative spatial intelligence”, he noted.
SGF therefore urged the members of the Council to serve with responsibility, integrity and innovation, and to foster efforts to develop professionals through curriculum updates and capacity building to prepare a workforce for the future driven by artificial intelligence and spatial analytics.
In his remarks, the President of the 10th Surveyor Council of Nigeria, Moshood Onifade Akinwade, expressed immense gratitude to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for allowing the Council to serve Nigeria as Surveyors.
In the words of Akinwade, ‘‘The Secretary to the Government of the Federation has charged us to embrace digitisation; therefore, I assure everyone that we will not fail you. We will work diligently to achieve a digitised geographical management system for Nigeria, contributing to national development and security’’.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary (GSO) Abubakar Ibrahim Kana, expressed the vital role of Surveyors in Nigeria’s development.
Kana stated that “Surveyors play a very vital roles in every country and every society. As we can see in Nigeria, we are blessed with land, sea, and many natural resources. Therefore, Surveyors help the government in environmental planning. We cannot underestimate the importance of surveyors and their contributions to national development. The council plays a major role in the governance of Nigeria”, he said.
A.I
July 22, 2026
Tags: Abubakar Ibrahim Kana Sen. George Akume SURCON