Obaseki’s Reforms: Edo Poly Set For Professional Courses

As part of initiatives to reposition Edo State Polytechnic as a forward-thinking institution in line with Governor Godwin Obaseki’s reforms in the education sector, the  Polytechnic management has concluded preparations to run professional courses for graduates and introductory programmes for secondary schools, among others at the Center for Geospatial Information Science (CGIS).

The Rector of the institution, Prof. Abiodun Falodun, disclosed this during the unveiling of the CGIS, at the school premises, in Usen, near Benin City, noting that the center boasts of a state-of-the-art facility equipped with latest tools and equipment for research and capacity building in the field of geospatial information science.

The centre is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities which include eBee RTK Survey-Grade Mapping Drone; STONEX S7 Handheld GPS; Electronic theodolites; GNSS receiver; AO plotter; LEICA DNA 10 Digital level; STONEX S10 DGPS, among others.

He said the state government and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) were instrumental to the setting up of the center, thanking the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration for prioritising education and capacity building as a cardinal programmme of his government.

Prof. Falodun  explained that the center will serve as a training facility to a number of organisations that require the collection of geospatial data in carrying out their functions, adding that the center will provide short professional courses as well as introductory training programmes for secondary school students.

At the 3rd Public Lecture of the institution, which held alongside the unveiling of the CGIS, Dr. Innocent Bello, stressed that geospatial information science is a vital element in the quest for sustainability in urban and regional development.

In the lecture, entitled Geospatial Technology as a Tool for National Planning and Development, Dr. Bello, who is an expert in satellite data management at the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), said that the setting up of the CGIS at this critical time when reliable and up-to-date data is a mirage, is a right step in the right direction.

According to him, “Although the level of understanding and rate of uptake of geospatial information, particularly at the policy and decision-making level, remains less than optimal, many do not understand its value and importance within the context of the sustainable development agenda. Governments at all levels (national, state and local) need accurate data in order to govern, hence GST integration.

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Kadiri Christopher

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