Minister seeks new national surveySPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has urged the executive arm of government to focus on agencies whose operations have significant value to national life.He spoke as Minister of Works, Mike Onolumeme described as shameful, the inability of the government to carry out thorough mapping and survey of the country in the past 39 years.While receiving the chairman of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, Dr. Franklin Osaisai in his office yesterday, Tambuwal said the time had come for Nigeria to explore the benefits in the atomic energy sector. He pledged the commitment of the parliament to facilitate speedy amendment of the laws establishing the Commission. Decree 46 of 1976 established theAtomic Energy Commission and has not been amended.The Speaker who said it was unfortunate that successive governments in the country had not fully activated the potential in the sector, noted that 'many developed countries of the world are reaping the benefits of developing their atomic energy potential and some developing countries of Africa are also doing so.'Particularly, Tambuwal mentioned Niger Republic among others in Africa that had begun the process of developing her atomic energy plant like she did with the construction of a refinery, which was commissioned sometimes last year.He said if a country like Niger Republic could come up with an atomic power plant, then it behoves on the National Assembly to support the Commission to realise its dream of developing the county's potential in the sector.'Technology can only be attained with proper funding because it is very, very expensive. We would call on the Executive to pay more attention to critical commission like this, and de-emphasise investment of our resources into commissions that add little or no value to our national life,' he said.Earlier, Chairman of the commission, Dr. Osaisai had sought the intervention of the National Assembly to amend the Decree establishing the commission, saying that it has become obsolete.The Minister of Works observed that all the nation's efforts at attaining development had hit the rock, adding that the incessant collapse of building, flooding, and huge loss of government's investment had continued because the right thing has not been done.Meanwhile, the Surveyor General of the Federation, Prof. Peter Nwilo has said that his office can assist government in monitoring of the national boarders, using some technologies available to it.Speaking when he visited the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation (OSGOF) yesterday in Abuja, the minister lamented that for a country that is naturally endowed with natural resources, it is a thing of shame to note that the last mapping of the country was done between 1967-1973.
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