As Nigeria’s brain drain crisis poses formidable challenges in the country, yesterday, surveyors expressed diverse views on how to tackle the crisis, which has become a major problem in the nation’s construction sector.
The professionals who spoke at the 39th Annual General Meeting Luncheon on the theme NIS@90 Brain Drain and Development, Growth: Impact on the Surveying Profession in Nigeria said the trend has clogged the country’s development wheel.
Fielding questions from journalists, the president of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors(NIS), Dr Matthew Ibitoye, said, “Brain drain has eaten deep into the fabrics of this nation, it is not only in the surveying profession, but it’s also rampant in the health sector. People are leaving this country because the economy and security are not palatable. People want to live in a secure environment where they can ensure their lives and jobs. Many of our members are frustrated. Our members cannot go to some regions in the country to carry out their assignments. If you have an opportunity elsewhere, you can move with your family. Unfortunately, we are entering another slavery we may not know now.’’
He said, “The challenge is that there won’t be any quack without patronage. Quacks are not new in any profession, but without patronage, the quacks will not exist. Some of us are aiding them. When you patronise a surveyor, look for a registered surveyor. That is a surveyor registered by the Surveyor Council of Nigeria. We are doing everything humanly possible in NIS to ensure that the issue of quackery in surveying is drastically reduced.
Also commenting on the brain drain problem, the Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors, Lagos State branch, Surveyor Olukolade Kasim, said,” The issue of brain drain syndrome itself is not bad.
Maybe there is some good we can harvest from it because we are witnessing that some of our members who go outside the country in search of greener pasture have resulted in knowledge transfer when they send us messages to us we see new trends.’’
Harping on the issue of insecurity rocking the country, Kasim said, “If Nigeria is adequately mapped, the problem of insecurity will be reduced. When the government partners with us, insecurity will be reduced because we are the masters of location, and the government needs to partner with the master of locations, and insecurity will be reduced to the minimum.”
