Faculty of Engineering to Introduce Geomatics Engineering Next Academic Session

Adebisi Bolarinwa, Matthias Luke and David Amarachi

The Faculty of Engineering, University of Lagos (UNILAG), says it will introduce Geomatics Engineering in the next academic session.

Speaking with UNILAG Sun, the dean of the faculty, Professor Samson Adeosun, said the initiative is part of efforts to integrate advanced technology into the faculty and contribute to national development in the fields of software engineering, computer engineering, and artificial intelligence.

Adeosun said that the existing Surveying & Geoinformatics programme will be phased out to make way for the new programme.

He noted that the programme will help in addressing security challenges in the country, adding that the technology can aid in tracking bandits and terrorists in hard-to-reach locations.

“With this issue of bandits and terrorists not being easily accessible, geomatics engineers will be able to locate them,” he said. 

“It’s just a question of using drones or robots to access dangerous areas where human beings cannot even go.”

The dean said that the faculty has ongoing partnerships with several organisations and industry experts, adding that some electrical companies, including Schneider Electric, are planning to partner and establish a laboratory within the faculty to support practical training and research

He further stated that students in the faculty are being trained to become problem solvers and entrepreneurs, capable of addressing societal challenges even before graduation.

“The way things are going is that we are not just training students, but we are training them to become entrepreneurs when they leave,” he said.

“They can fit into the society outside and are actually solving societal problems.”

Adeosun noted that many of the students participate in innovative competitions and that three students recently won a start-up grant, launching them into becoming entrepreneurs. 

Addressing challenges facing the faculty, Adeosun identified low salary income as a major concern, saying that it has led to the exit of many lecturers. 

He added that this has placed immense pressure and stress on the remaining academic staff.

He said that transforming the faculty into a more competitive and technologically advanced institution will be his greatest legacy.