Memoir: my journey through the thick and thin of life — Part 8
So, at the end of the Mandatory National Youth Service, I was issued my Certificate of Participation.
I went to Dr. Okokon Essien and showed him the certificate. It was at this point that Dr Essien asked me if I wouldn’t want to advance a career in Surveying and Geoinformatics with a specialization in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He said he would like to offer me employment in the Office of The Surveyor General (OSSG) and dispatch me immediately to the Federal School of Survey, FSS, Oyo State to study Surveying and Geoinformatics.
He said because I never had a surveying background that I will start with Professional Diploma in Surveying and Geoinformatics and move on to study GIS further. All these at the expense of his office. He asked me to go and think about it and give him my response within days.
I gave a thought to it and was thinking how I am going to go start afresh to do Professional Diploma when I just already completed NYSC and expecting further promotions in Akwa Ibom Water Company Limited, should they recognise the additional qualifications I have brought.
I went back and told Dr Essien that I appreciate the offer he has made to me, but that I would rather continue in the IT field instead of becoming a surveyor. Though my response did not resonate well with Dr Essien he respected my decision and wished me well.
He said why he wanted me to advance a career in the GIS field was because he has presented a proposal to the State Executive Council for consideration and approval to conduct a geospatial mapping of Akwa Ibom State, much like what is now Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS).
He said he wants Akwa Ibom State to have a special agency like AGIS, such that the agency is peopled by highly-skilled professionals in Surveying and Geoinformatics. He said he has been a member of the technical committee for the implementation of geospatial mapping of other states and it would be a slap if he cannot implement geospatial mapping for his state before he retires from the service.
He said he has travelled to many countries the world over and have conducted the necessary studies about the best possible ways to effectively implement the project.
He said, “If approval is given for the project, you will handle all ICT-related components of the project from start to finish.”
Unfortunately, till his retirement from the service, approval was not given for that project by the then Governor of the State. Dr Essien has been very unhappy that Akwa Ibom State doesn’t have a fully digitized geospatial database.
Up till today, anywhere in the world Dr Essien is, if he has any IT-related issue, he calls on me. Some times, I set up remote login and helped him solve an issue even without touching his computer physically, except if the issue is a mechanical issue that requires physical inspection of the system.
…to be continued
Stay on with me in this series.
