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SYMPOSIUM, COMMISSION VI, !SPRS
BADAGRY, NIGERIA
Tuesday 23.9. 86 — Friday 26.9.86
Opening Remarks — By: G. KONECNY
His Royal Highness, Oba Akran, Dr. Balogun, Prof. Adedeji, Mr. Adebekun, President of
the Nigeria Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Chief Coker, distinguished dig-
nitaries, commission President Olayinka Adekoya, dear friends of photogrammetry and remote
sensing.
As president of ISPRS | am very glad to be here at the opening of this first symposium of
our society in Africa.
This is the first time in the 76-year history of our International Society that an African
country has taken charge of our society affairs.
| am personally all the more happy, since | have enjoyed in my own academic career strong
ties to Nigeria and her people.
When in Canada in the 1960s, Chief Coker the one time Director of Surveys visited my
former University, the University of New Brunswick to arrange for an education programme of
at least one hundred Nigerians, who were to receive the B.Sc. Degree in Surveying Engineering
at UNB. Some of them even stayed for their M.Sc. and Ph. D Degrees.
| am proud to count our distinguished Commission President Mrs. Olayinka Adekoya, at
the beginning of her stay in Canada she was called Miss Lasebikan, as one of my top students in
my academic career. | am very happy to see other bright former students like her husband,
Mr. Adekoya, Mr. Ali Balogun, Mr. Allo, Mr. Awotiwon, Dr. Egberongbe, Mr. Odukoya,
Mr. Odukoya, Mr. Ogunlami, Mr. Okuwa and the many others who | have forgotten to name at
the moment.
| am particularly very happy that one of my first Ph.D graduates, which | supervised,
Dr. Fubara will come here today. One of my UNB graduates, Dr. Ekenobi even followed me to
Germany to complete his Doctor of Engineering Degree in the german language.
For me, this is really a big family reunion. What can be more gractifying to a University
Professor to see that his former students have assumed position of responsibility and that they
are the new leaders in the efforts to upgrade the standards of the African Survey Profession.
| regret, that not many more of my colleagues from Europe and North America have come
here today. They were afraid of the discomforts a long trip to here might bring but they have
missed out on the beautiful setting in which this symposium is held and on a rich experience
which only a visitor to Africa can enjoy and the warmth of the reception by the Nigerian people.
Nigeria is the most populous country of Africa, in transition like any large nation in the
world. But more than this Nigeria now hosts commission VI and represents the African conti-
nent in our society affairs.
Our scientific and technical organisation comparises 75 national members in all parts of the
world. We are represented as non-governmental organisation in the United Nations and its bodies,
such as the UNESCO and we subscribe so the goals of the International Council of Scientific
Unions (ICSU) with regard to political and other activities. Nigeria has always left her mark In
UN Organisations. It is with special pleasure that | see at this meeting Mr. Abiodun from the UN
Secretariat, and Prof. Adedeji (Executive Secretary) of ECA and Mr. Olojuhungbe from the ECA.
Just because we are a non-political organisation we find it easy at our congresses and sym
posia to bridge political barriers. We take pride in the fact that both the Soviet Union and the
USA, the Peoples Rep. of China and Taiwan, Jordan and Israel and even Iran and Iraq have been
cooperative members on scientific matters in our midst.
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