The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Surveyors

  • Surveyors decry shortage of certified members

    The President of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr. Rowland Abonta, has decried the ratio of registered Estate Surveyors & Valuers which he said stood at about 6,000 nationwide compared to the total population of about 190 million people. He pointed out that  the number is  insufficient  and have the capacity to encourage quackery. He spoke  at the 25th John Wood Ekpenyong Memorial Lecture and 2019 Fellows’ Induction, organised by the institution in Abuja.

    He also harped on the need for political office holders to avail themselves the services of his members to save themselves from embarrassment in connection with Asset declaration. He added that only recently the Chief Justice of the Federation, Mr. Walter Onnoghen was involved in a controversy over lack of declaration of his assets with the Code of Conduct  Bureau. He argued that the Chief Justice of the Federation  may not  have faced the challenge he is currently facing if he had employed the services of Estate Valuers.

    At the event, the Institution inducted 28 new Fellows who pledged allegiance to the uplifting and ideals among other things, at a ceremony which brought together people from across the country.

    The NIESV boss regretted a situation where government claims to be fighting corruption and still gives non professionals powers  to value assets and put any figure they like, stressing that such practice is wrong.

    He said: “Like the Code of Conduct Bureau, we know what asset declaration is doing to our country today, especially, with the relationship between the Judiciary and the Executive arms of government. If only those in authority have allowed Estate Surveyors to play their statutory roles when it comes to assets declaration, maybe the Chief Justice of Nigeria, will not be facing the challenge he is facing today. This is because an Estate Valuer will be interested in listing all his assets at once and will also be interested in verifying and confirming those assets. But a situation where the government is fighting corruption and the government gives power to those declaring their assets to put figures they like is a big disservice to the nation”, he added.

    Past president of the institution , Chief Emeka Onurah,  while delivering a lecture titled The Estate Surveyor and Valuers in Peril: Challenges and Prospects,  accused government at all levels of violating the laws establishing Estate Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria otherwise known as ESVARBON laws.

    Onuorah charged the board to engage government in order to ensure that the ESVARBON laws are obeyed by all, stressing that Federal Inland Revenue Services  (FIRS) alleged engagement of companies whose job are not to carry out valuations is in clear contravention of the law of the land.

    He emphasised the need to add more business contents in the courses offered in our tertiary institutions to equip them with competitive knowledge as well as good business background.

    He said: “We need to look at the content of these institutions. Perhaps, we need to borrow more from the American system than the British system. The British system teaches you how to be a good estate valuer but it does not teach you how to be a good business man. That is the distinction, so we need to have more business content in our courses in the higher institutions so that the new graduands that would come out will have very good knowledge of the profession as well as a good business background.”

  • Surveyors decry shortage of certified members

    The President of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr. Rowland Abonta, has decried the ratio of registered Estate Surveyors & Valuers which he said stood at about 6,000 nationwide compared to the total population of about 190 million people. He pointed out that  the number is  insufficient  and have the capacity to encourage quackery. He spoke  at the 25th John Wood Ekpenyong Memorial Lecture and 2019 Fellows’ Induction, organised by the institution in Abuja.

    He also harped on the need for political office holders to avail themselves the services of his members to save themselves from embarrassment in connection with Asset declaration. He added that only recently the Chief Justice of the Federation, Mr. Walter Onnoghen was involved in a controversy over lack of declaration of his assets with the Code of Conduct  Bureau. He argued that the Chief Justice of the Federation  may not  have faced the challenge he is currently facing if he had employed the services of Estate Valuers.

    At the event, the Institution inducted 28 new Fellows who pledged allegiance to the uplifting and ideals among other things, at a ceremony which brought together people from across the country.

    The NIESV boss regretted a situation where government claims to be fighting corruption and still gives non professionals powers  to value assets and put any figure they like, stressing that such practice is wrong.

    He said: “Like the Code of Conduct Bureau, we know what asset declaration is doing to our country today, especially, with the relationship between the Judiciary and the Executive arms of government. If only those in authority have allowed Estate Surveyors to play their statutory roles when it comes to assets declaration, maybe the Chief Justice of Nigeria, will not be facing the challenge he is facing today. This is because an Estate Valuer will be interested in listing all his assets at once and will also be interested in verifying and confirming those assets. But a situation where the government is fighting corruption and the government gives power to those declaring their assets to put figures they like is a big disservice to the nation”, he added.

    Past president of the institution , Chief Emeka Onurah,  while delivering a lecture titled The Estate Surveyor and Valuers in Peril: Challenges and Prospects,  accused government at all levels of violating the laws establishing Estate Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria otherwise known as ESVARBON laws.

    Onuorah charged the board to engage government in order to ensure that the ESVARBON laws are obeyed by all, stressing that Federal Inland Revenue Services  (FIRS) alleged engagement of companies whose job are not to carry out valuations is in clear contravention of the law of the land.

    He emphasised the need to add more business contents in the courses offered in our tertiary institutions to equip them with competitive knowledge as well as good business background.

    He said: “We need to look at the content of these institutions. Perhaps, we need to borrow more from the American system than the British system. The British system teaches you how to be a good estate valuer but it does not teach you how to be a good business man. That is the distinction, so we need to have more business content in our courses in the higher institutions so that the new graduands that would come out will have very good knowledge of the profession as well as a good business background.”

  • Surveyors advise govt on flood control

    Association of Private Practicing Surveyors of Nigeria (APPSN) has urged the Federal Government to consult survey practitioners on best ways to control flooding when embarking on projects in affected areas.

    The association also advised the Federal Government to partner practitioners when locating infrastructure in any part of the country to get the topography in order to reduce costs and other unnecessary spendings.

    APPSN Delta State Chairman Dabiri Thomas at the association’s National Delegates Meeting in Warri, urged government to handle the issue of survey as critical in infrastructural development.

    Federal Government, Thomas said, should imbibe the habit of consulting surveyors when carrying out capital projects to avoid wastage.

    Thomas said: “We are having this kind of meetings to create awareness for the general public that surveyors should always be consulted like any other professionals when building infrastructure.

    “Most of the flooding problems we are going through in this country are because most of the time surveyors are not usually consulted; Surveyors must have to be consulted to provide the best way to control flooding.

    APPSN National Chairman said the body is out to achieve set goals and development in all areas of operation.

  • Marine engineers, surveyors hold summit

    The Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors (AMES), in partnership with the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), will hold its  second Maritime Technical Summit in Lagos.

    The event, according to its organisers will hold on May 22, at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island.

    NSC Executive Secretary Mr Hassan Bello said his agency was partnering the association to promote the industry.

    Bello, who acknowledged the importance of the summit, said he was particularly impressed by the theme: “Ship Operations in Nigeria Policy, Technical, Financial Challenges and Prospects”, hence, his willingness to ensure the Council’s active participation.

    He assured stakeholders that the government’s vision for a national fleet in shipping was not only on course, but stronger with the support of the Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM), which is providing a more efficient foundation for the vision takeoff.

    It would be recalled that the first Summit, which held on April 21, 2016, resulted in the setting up of two ministerial committees on Nigerian fleet development and  NIMASA’s Technical reform.

    The Group’s President, Charles Uwadia, said the Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi will be the chief host at the event, urging the stakeholders in the maritime in the industry to attend and chat a new direction for the sector.

  • Surveyors challenge professionals at product platform launch

    Determined to checkmate the activities of quacks in the building and construction industry, the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) through its Faculty of Estate Agency and Marketing, has launched a Multiple Listing Site for members to have contact with buyers of real estate products.

    At the unveiling of the website in Lagos, the chairman of the occasion, Emeka Eleh, an estate surveyor and valuer, described the initiative as worthwhile, noting that it is something that members have been expecting for a longtime.

    He lauded the Faculty of Estate Agency and Marketing, a business division of NIESV for berthing the dream which, he said, would  promote credibility in real estate transactions.

    Speaking on the initiative, the chairman, Faculty of Estate Agency and Marketing, Sam Eboigbe, noted that the website is for NIESV members nationwide to advertise lands, and property in Nigeria and abroad. He stressed that the scheme would redeem the already bastardised name and promote easy identification of the core professionals who will render truthful service.

    “We have decided to do things more professionall and efficiently to ensure that we serve our clients all over Nigeria. Here you are dealing with professionals who are regulated by law. If you engage with us directly, you won’t pay us fees. About 400 members are already registered on the platform. It will be beneficial to our clients and our members. We have codes to follow on the platform and if you don’t follow the codes, you will be disqualified”, he stated.

    In a lecture, the Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Shepherds Limited, Idorenyen Enang, stressed that activities of quacks in the profession have made it difficult to differentiate between the professionals and those who are not supposed to be in the trade. He stated that what needs to be done at the moment is to identify and establish brand positioning as well as brainstorm on ideas and technologies that would turn the fortune of the business for good.

    Delivering a lecture on the theme: Business Frontiers in the real estate industry,  Enang suggested that what needs to be done is to identify and establish brand positioning and brainstorm on ideas and technologies that would make the profession more profitable amid the economic challenges.

    “NIESV should build great brand, this must have staying power, authentic, and maintain consistency which is about building credibility that is communicated to everyone. You should not commoditise your profession but make it a brand. You must articulate a vision; define your value proposition, the unique value you’re offering to the clients, create a good identity, logo and communicate your brand with consistent value offering. Positioning is the way we want consumers to think and feel about our brand. NIESV needs to know that positioning is often the difference between marketing success and a failure. What makes a brand include; memorability, meaningfulness, likability, adaptability and protectability”, he stated

    In his presentation on: “New opportunities, prospects, compliance and proposals”, a Principal Partner of Gbenga Olaniyan & Associate, Mr. Gbenga Olaniyan, explained that members should develop the types of property that the people require, offer flexible payment plan because of the market and  form partnerships to consult for investment clubs.

    He noted that some of the opportunities to explore include facility management, research, virtual office development, guaranteed rents, auctioneering, concessions in ‘A’ grade property letting, portfolio optimisation consultancy, among others.

  • Fashola, surveyors and blockchain technology

    The mention of cryptocurrencies brings about diverse views globally. But when they are put aside, focusing on the evolution that is seldom associated with them becomes easy.

    The underlying blockchain technology, which powers cryptocurrencies, is worth a study. The application of this decentralized system fits perfectly into several use cases globally.

    In Nigeria, its potential use cases abound. It can be used to arrange transactions at the port or to raise funds for flood victims. Blockchain’s advent is truly disrupting traditional models.

    It could also be used for the housing minister’s suggestion to the Surveyors Council of Nigeria to make a national digital map.

    Nigeria’s Federal Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola recently urged the group to raise funds for the project. And that means work may have started on this project. Nonetheless, not privy to what may be ongoing, the concept of crowdfunding comes to mind.

    Blockchain’s smart contract feature is best known for achieving such a goal. For example, the surveyors run a not-for-profit group. Their financial position may not be strong enough to implement their sound idea.

    They need money to complete the map which will benefit the general masses in several ways. The map will serve security outfits, multinationals, ministries, departments and agencies. They can charge for its use to generate income.

    There comes blockchain-based initial coin offering (ICO). The crowdfunding method can help fund the project by issuing tokenized assets.

    Many Nigerians can invest in bits to support it and earn passing income with time.

    Transactions on blockchain are transparent. The system is tamper-proof and inputted data cannot be altered. The system’s openness promotes accountability.

    This aspect needs to be looked into. Cryptocurrencies should not be somewhat synonymous to a “get rich quick” means. Rather, a delve into identifying how the evolution they bring will improve us should be prioritised.

     

    • Olusegun Ogundeji,

    Barcelona.

  • Uphold global best pratice, surveyors told

    Stakeholders in the real estate sector have called for the implementation of international standards in their business.

    They spoke  at the yearly conference of the Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Lagos State chapter.

    Its theme was: Standardisation of valuation reports in Nigeria.

    Nelson Thorpe Alonge Chartered Surveyors and Estate Valuers Senior Partner/Chief Executive Officer Victor Alonge said estate valuers work in a market that “shadows” other investment.

    He said the regulation and methods of property valuation were a subject of interest, in and outside the profession, particularly during recession when property values fall.

    This, he said, is justified based on the key role valuation plays in ensuring financial stability.

    Alonge said in the absence of any  standards, valuers have   a lot of “flexibility” in calculations and approaches.

    “It is the exercise of this unguided ‘flexibility’ by valuers that results in negligent property valuation practices with accuracy and integrity issues,” he noted.

    He said it was not surprising that  appropriate valuation standards and their regulations had become vital to promoting and sustaining public confidence in the profession.

    Uniform valuation standards, he further explained, help to reduce investment risks, boost financial reporting and provide an approach to portfolio and asset valuation.

    He, however, warned that the failure to capture the value of underlying assets of private and public sector entities could have severe global consequences not only for investors and shareholders, but also for the public.

    “Valuation underpins financial decisions and forms the basis of a range of market activities. It is, therefore, important that valuation is recognised as a coherent and skilled profession. The profession must, however, continue to ensure that it is fit for future challenges,” Alonge said.

    He noted that property business underpined a major proportion of financial decisions. This is why the valuation report of a property is one of the most-important requirements that guide decision-making in selling a property, he said.

    To achieve this, Alonge said valuation reports help to evaluate the property, and the buyer, and the seller, in understanding its market value.

    “A valuation report thus helps the parties in negotiating the price to be paid for the property. Also, if you are getting a loan from a bank to purchase a property, you will have to submit a  report to the bank. This is required by the bank to ensure that even if the loan amount is left unpaid, the outstanding amount is covered by the value of the property,” the chartered valuer said.

    Property valuations are, he went on, commissioned for the following reasons: to understand the difference between value and price, make an objective assessment of the asset;  remove personal attachment from  decision making and prevent funding shocks, among others.

    Prof. Gabriel Babawale, in his paper  titled: Asset valuation reporting, observed that the difference between a professional surveyor and a trade-test technician in surveying is the application of standards.

    He said that was why it is impossible to be a professional, if there are no standards, noting that valuation is not a fact but an opinion of a surveyor, who must  convince a client.

    Also, another estate valuer, Jimmy Omotosho, who spoke on land and building valuation reporting,  urged surveyors to ensure that their valuation conformed to  local and international standards.

    Lagos NIESV Chairman Rogba Orimolade said estate surveyors ought to be more diligent to get government’s patronage.

    He listed the two major challenges facing indigeneous practitioners as lack of technical expertise and financial incapability to acquire the necessary technologies to execute key valuation jobs.

     

  • Reviewed fees will stimulate better services, say surveyors

    The reviewed professional fee charged by surveyors in Lagos State will enhance quality service and professionalism.

    This was the position of the Association of Private Practising Surveyors of Nigeria (APPSN), Lagos branch Chairman, Mr. Olufemi Odetunmibi, at the body’s 2017 annual workshop, last week in Lagos.

    “The essence of the reviewed fee is to ensure that surveyors render proper services to clients, because when the fee is not right, you can be sure that the service will not be right,” he explained.

    Odetunmibi, while welcoming participants to the workshop, themed: “Corporate business ethics: Repositioning surveying as an enterprise,” said the essence was to encourage members to be alive to their responsibilities.

    “Our members should have the mind-set that they must practice the profession within the ambit of the corporate profession. That will not increase our fees, but will allow the public to have value for their money,” he said.

    Odetunmibi called for an increased patronage of professional surveyors for sustainable development, urging the public to be proactive by getting quality services from his members in developing their property.

    He said although surveyors’ services where being utilised, it can be better as any major development should have the input of a surveyor, warning that people who short-circuit developments have themselves to blame at later dates.

    “If we are looking for sustainable development, then the people, who have the technical capability to do that should be carried along from the beginning. Even when it is completed, we should be carried along to ensure that it is sustained and not developed and left unattended to,” he observed.

    Odetunmibi noted that land administration would remain very important in the scheme of things; hence, he urged that the global approach should be closely monitored so surveyors could be active players in the way things are shaped. This, he said, is because prevailing events place greater responsibilities on private survey practitioners to reposition the practice of surveying.

    “Anytime you see any infrastructural decay, find out if any registered surveyor is involved; most times, you find that our people are not fully involved in the foundation and we are asking that this should change. Surveyors, especially those in private practice, have contributed a lot to economic growth by ensuring that proper foundation was always laid,” Odetunmibi said.

    The guest lecturer and Managing Partner of Sanya Alabi and Co., Mr. Julius Olusanya, urged members of the association to add value to their services in order to give back to the society.

    “In business, you are potentially managing men, money and materials to achieve a purpose. You can either add value as an individual by giving back to the society through providing job opportunities to others, or you just make profit,” he said.

  • Surveyors to Buhari: intensify negotiations to free all Chibok girls

    Surveyors to Buhari: intensify negotiations to free all Chibok girls

    The Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS), has scored President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration high on war against Boko Haram terrorists especially the release of another batch of 82 kidnapped Chibok school girls.

    The body, which appraised the three cardinal campaign promises of the Federal Government, appealed to the President to intensify his negotiations to ensure that all the remaining girls still in Boko Haram’s captivity regained their freedom.

    Speaking in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, at the weekend, after its 52nd Annual General Meeting and Conference, NIS said the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government hit the ground running by formulating strategies to achieve its promises on security, fight against corruption and the economy.

    In his address, the President of NIS, Akinloye Oyegbola, said: “We want to appreciate the efforts of the President. We know that he has three cardinal objectives he wants to achieve which are security, fight against corruption and the economy.

    “No sooner did he take over as the President of the country than he put up the strategy. The result is all for us to see. We appreciate the efforts especially the release of another 82 of the Chibok girls.

    “We will implore that he continues the negotiation such that eventually we will be able to have all the girls released”.

    On the war against corruption, Oyegbola while giving a pass mark to the anti-graft agencies, however, told them that people were more interested in convictions than media trials.

    He urged the agencies to formulate a more robust strategy aimed at thoroughly investigating cases and satisfying all legal requirements before charging them to courts.

    Using the case of the arrested judges as an example, the NIS boss said despite the noise that characterised their arrest, the suspects were beginning to regain their freedom.

    He said: “While we can see that there is an effort in the right direction, we can say that maybe it is necessary for our organ working on it to really have a more robust strategy. It should not only try to publicly judge the suspects. It should see us look at them as suspects and eventually have their case in court early enough and in conclusive manner.

    “This is because most times we only hear and at the end of the day after the euphoria what happens? We will start hearing that they are released and then we begin to wonder who did not do his job well.

    “I think the agency should try to do a bit more on how to package these things for the court, know what is required for conviction and you know if you fall short of it, you can’t get the convictions. So, I think they should do a thorough job.

    “We are not in a hurry to know. We are here to know all the time. If you are not sure you can get a conviction, why go to court? We may not even know when they are going to court, it is better we know when there is conviction. So that we see it as concluded.

    “Look at what happened to the judges. It is a technical thing. Little by little these judges are now being released and look at the hullaballoo that went with it. You can’t convict anybody without a competent court, so you don’t make us convict them on pages of newspapers or screens of television”.

    On the economy, Oyegbola commended the government for its policies to support and grow the local industries adding that the country was beginning to have a viable rice industry.

    But he urged the government to strike a balance in its control of the local currency since it lacked the power to control prices.

    “Where we are still controlling price, something somewhere is still not right and you are feeding somebody very fat. Leave it to run itself and be there to monitor it. The control is not the issue”, he said.

    On the roles played by surveyors in the economy, Oyegbola said the functions of members of NIS had become more pronounced in the efforts of the government to diversify the economy.

    He observed that the government had made progress in the extractive industry saying surveyors must be consulted to determine where solid minerals were located and how to extract them.

    “We thought it was necessary to actually quickly come up with strategies to make whatever attempts that the government may be coming up with in that direction a highly sustainable one,” he said.

  • Cargo surveyors okay NPA’s process

    Cargo surveyors have expressed confidence that the cargo surveying bidding process at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) complies with international best practices and extant Nigerian laws and would further enhance transparency and competence at the nation’s ports.

    A leading professional surveyor at the Lagos port and chairman of Seabed International Limited, Sheikh Yakubu Abdallah said the NPA Cargo Surveyors Association has full confidence in the management of NPA led by Hajiya Hadiza Bala Usman and the ongoing cargo survey contract bidding process.  He was reacting to allegations of bias leveled by unnamed persons in a newspaper publication.

    Abdallah said the allegations of bias were being made by aggrieved parties who bided for cargo survey contract at the NPA but were jittery that they may not meet the competitiveness and requirements for such duty.