By Ifeanyichukwu Ibe
Experts in the Nigeria surveying profession have poured encomiums on Late Pa Shadrach Wokemba, the 6th President of the Nigeria Institution of Surveyors (NIS), saying that he projected the profession admirably, while bequeathing it sound and ethical practices that others have built on. They made the disclosures at the Second Annual General Meeting of the Eastern Surveyors Forum (ESF) on Friday, at the Nigeria Institution of Surveyors (NIS), Imo State Secretariat, off Port-Harcourt Road.
The event also commemorated the 2024 Memorial Lecture in honour of Late Wokemba as participants agreed that the best way to immortalize the deseased was for practitioners to perpetuate his ideals of diligence, transparency, discipline, hard work and professionalism in all their undertakings. The AGM also brought to the front burner the security challenges facing the country and the South-East in particular with presentations on the role of surveying in combating the Hydra-headed insecurity challenge, using geospatial technology and other surveillance systems as well as intelligence gathering tools.
Leading other speakers, the former President, Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SURCON), Surv. Clement Nwabichie, (FNIS) described Late Wokemba as an icon of professional excellence in Nigeria who impacted those who encountered him positively. Surv. Nwabichie who read the biography of Late Wokemba, disclosed that as a young practitioner, he worked under the tutelage of the late icon, and acquired the necessary skills, competencies and character in complying to the best standards of surveying practice, adding that surveying profession owed Late Wokemba a lot.
He words: “It is instructive to note that the surveying profession owes a lot to Late Surv. Wokemba. He restructured our profession. He restructured the way we practice. He created the gate and created the gatekeepers that one must pass through, and ultimately he instilled some discipline in the profession. He conquered the professional body as a president, and conquered the regulatory arm as a president. And we from the South-East are very proud of him, and that is why we instituted a lecture series in his name.” Turning to insecurity in the region, Surv. Nwabichie, called the situation a topical concern requiring synergy among government, security agencies and Surveyors to address.
Also speaking, NIS Vice President International, Surv. Ven. A. C Chukwuocha (FNIS) stated: “This is a wonderful event for Surveyors in the South-East. And we are using it to remind ourselves of excellence as we commemorate the first son of Igboland to be NIS President in the person of Late Surv. Wokemba. This icon was one of those who suffered for our Institution to stand. He sacrificed to make the profession best for those coming behind him. Late Wokemba was so respected across the country. His legacies encourage us as Igbo Surveyors to always pursue excellence; to solve problems and to make the society better.”
The Anglican clergy, while dwelling on the role of surveying profession in combating insecurity added: “The roles of this profession in fighting insecurity are germane and mighty because Surveyors account for maps, they account for the recording of directions and land boundaries. And some of these issues of insecurity come from boundary disagreements and conflicts over land for people to express their professions, like farmers for planting and herdsmen for their cows. But thankfully, we as Surveyors are coming together to chart the way forward.
“We have also grown in digital mapping where we can actually predict where crime can happen, the kind of crime that can happen in that place and proper solutions to the government on how to handle those kinds of situations. And that is how important location is,” Ven Chukwuocha, averred, while advocating for a new mapping of the South-East, arguing that the one conducted several years back had become obsolete. “We need to map this region in order to know where things are; to secure the environments and for those in-charge to place certain priority over them. And with this, insecurity would be put on check,” he concluded.
While another fellow in the Institution, and Chairman, Imo State Chapter of Association of Practicing Surveyors of Nigeria, Surv. Paschal Nze, opined that the memory of Late Pa Wokemba would remain indelible among Surveyors in the country, given the worthy paths he laid for them. According to him, Surveyors gathering was exciting for them as it provided them the opportunity to improve themselves, hence their surveying calling required constant training and retraining in order to be relevant with modern technologies as well as enhancing their capacities in handling current trends.
“We are here as Eastern Surveyors to be on one page and to celebrate one of our icons and our role model, Late Surv. Wokemba. As one of the founding fathers of our Institution, he served with diligence and sacrifice. He was a selfless leader who projected the surveying profession in good light. He was a fine lecturer and a fine Surveyor and a man of excellence that Surveyors in the South-East are following his footsteps and legacies.
Surv. Nze, also a former chairman of NIS, Imo State, further stated that the theme of the gathering: “The Role of Surveying in Fighting Insecurity in South Eastern Region of Nigeria” was apt given prevalent security challenges in the country and South -East region. According to him, the lecture delivered by Surv. Prof. Francis Okeke of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (Enugu Campus) raised timely awareness that Surveyors as critical stakeholders have roles to play with the provision of vital information that can help curb insecurity. Crime, he said, takes place in an environment, and Surveyors are trained to generate intelligence from the environment and provide useful information towards solving problems in the society, including insecurity, as he urged synergy among stakeholders.
The event which witnessed Award presentations, was graced by notable personalities within and outside the surveying profession. The included: the Imo State Deputy Governor, Lady Chinyere Ekomaru who declared the event open; NIS President Surv. Dr. Matthew Ibitoye; Imo State Head of Service Barrister Raymond Ucheoma; NIS Deputy President Chief Pius Eze; Imo State Surveyor-General, Surv. Uzodimma Odidika and his South-Eastern counterparts among others.
