Nigerians Must Listen To Surveyors To Ensure Development- Sultan of Sokoto

Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III

The sultan of Sokoto and president general, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, said that Nigeria cannot develop unless there is discipline.

The sultan who spoke in his palace when officials of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors led by its president, Surv. (Barr) Bern Omo Akhigbe paid him a courtesy visit, also said there should be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption.

While appreciating the importance of survey in all human endeavours, the sultan said that Nigerians must listen to surveyors to ensure the development of the country since survey entails planning.

“There must be survey in whatever we do. Between a husband and wife, there must be a survey on how to live their lives”, he advised.

As the institution held its 50th Annual General Meeting in Sokoto State last month, the sultan challenged the members to discuss problems facing Nigeria including corruption and proffer solutions as a professional body.

NIS President, Bern Omo Akhigbe at the Sultan's Palace.

He said, “Try to discuss problems facing Nigeria including corruption and contribute your own quota on how to eradicate corruption from our society. Also discuss other salient issues including what is really wrong with us that we cannot get good leadership.

“We have to face the challenge of corruption squarely; because I believe that when things are allowed to go the way the people think or what they believe they should do without being checked by anybody, then we are doomed.

“We cannot develop unless there is discipline and we cannot have a situation where people do whatever they want and nobody is being punished. If somebody has done something wrong, punish him. There should be no sacred cow.

“We believe that Nigerian Institution of Surveyors as a professional body should be at the vanguard of clamoring for change in good governance, change in accountability, change in fighting corruption and of course, change in our personal lives

Former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari with some of the delegates.

because we must change ourselves first”.

“We believe that, we owe it a duty to our country to give good governance to the generations yet unborn” Sultan stressed.

Earlier, the Institution’s president, Bern Omo Akhigbe divulged that the 50th AGM holding in Sokoto is the first in north-western part of Nigeria, adding that, it will be a whole week event with opening ceremony on Tuesday.