NCA wants regulatory body for map making in Nigeria
The National Cartographic Association (NCA) has called for the establishment of a regulatory body to oversee map making in Nigeria.
NCA’s National President, Prof. Mommoh Rilwan, made the call at the opening of its 46th conference on Monday in Abuja.
Rilwan described the move as critical to ensure compliance in professionalism in map making, stressing that it would provide accurate information to support informed decision-making for national development.
He stressed that those who must be involved in mapmaking must be certified to do that with a body that would control whoever wants to be part of it.
“This is to ensure that they have the required skills to produce map that can be used for planning and sustainable development,” he said
Rilwan emphasised that maps provide essential spatial data and visualisations that guide decision-making in key sectors, making accuracy indispensable.
He said, “The outcome of all geographical applications are usually maps complemented with charts and graphs. Therefore, accuracy of the final product is crucial.”
The president stated that the production of maps by non-professionals usually misrepresented situations, affecting decision-making and causing developmental crises and other disasters.
“And this has caused a lot of development crisis and disaster for us because people building places they are not supposed to build.
“You don’t even know the disparity in resources where you have, where you are supposed to take from and reach each other,” he said.
Rilwan said that the theme of the conference, ‘Geospatial Intelligence Mapping for Poverty Alleviation and Security Management’, was apt in addressing contemporary issues of national development.
In his remarks, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, said that the theme of the conference aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Represented by Dr Mathew Adepoju, Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), he said the conference underscored the crucial role of NCA in standardising cartographic practices in Nigeria.
Nnaji stated that space ecosystem re-fertilisation was one of the pivotal roles and focus areas of Tinubu’s administration.
According to him, this can only be achieved through strengthened collaboration with professional bodies like NCA, the public and private sectors, as well as the academia.
He described standardisation in cartographic practices and ethics as essential, if practitioners were to fully benefit from emerging space economic opportunities.
“Our collective efforts, including legislative backing from the National Assembly, remain a key achievement for this goal to be realised.
“I hereby call on the leadership of NCA to seek the National Assembly’s view and act of parliament,” he said.
Declaring the conference open, the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, expressed confidence that the speakers would do justice to the subject matters carefully selected in line with current developments.
He stressed the importance of knowledge in repositioning the sector and empowering participants in the discharge of their duties.
Supreme news reports that the conference would holds from Sept. 8 to Sept. 12.
