The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Surveyors

  • ‘Why surveyors’ board underperformed for 21 years’

    President, Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN), Mallam Husaini Dikko, has blamed the Federal Government (FG) for the agency’s low performance in the last 21 years.

    Dikko said the agency had been bedeviled by poor funding, weak organisational structure and poor institutional design.

    He spoke at the maiden stakeholders’ forum of the agency at the weekend in Abuja, adding that the board had operated without a registrar for five years until resumption of the new administration.

    Dikko said: “When the current board came into being in September 2010, it observed that the organisation had largely underperformed in meeting the mandate given to it by the enabling law in the past 21 years of its existence.

    “A critical appraisal revealed that weak organisational structure, poor institutional design, weak government support and poor funding, especially by government whose agency the board is, were the main reasons for this appalling state of affairs.”

    He, however, said the new board in two years has inducted 630 new surveyors and 95 practicing firms compared to 1,281 registered members and 54 practicing firms in 21 years.

    He solicited government’s support for the agency to perform its statutory functions.

    He added that QSRBN has completed a master plan to transform the agency.

    Dikko noted that the plan will be submitted to the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms Amal Pepple for further consideration.

  • RISAN to train risk surveyors

    The Risk Surveyors Association of Nigeria (RISAN) is set to introduce a training for risk surveyors in 2013.

    The new President of the association, Jacob Adeosun, announced this during the association’s conference in Lagos.

    Adeosun took over from the immediate past President, Chief Lebi Omoboyowa, whose tenure expired.

    Adeosun said: ”The essence for the structured training was because risk assessment is a knowledge driven profession, changes occur rapidly by the hour.

    ‘’The risk survey profession is anchored on knowledge and the knowledge should be as deep and broad as possible and relevant to the needs of the society. We must produce risk surveyors of local and international repute”.

    He also announced the introduction of the “Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MPCD) program for all her members. He said: “While MPCD programme will ensure that the we rejuvenate the knowledge base of all existing members, we have recognised a missing gap to fulfill the aspirations of would-be professional risks surveyors.”

    He said risk surveyors are trained to add value in risk assessment, loss prevention and risk reduction in the interest of stakeholders, insurers, the insured and the public.

    He also announced that there is in-place now, a structured membership grading system that will be administered in strict compliance with approved guidelines.

    “To bring the Nigerian risk surveyors in line with international standards, there is urgent need to train and retrain the practitioners, Adeosun stated.

    He said the Federal Government registered and empowered RISAN to among other things, provide continuous education for members of the Association in the fields of risk surveying, risk management, loss prevention, risk control in relation to fire technology, safety devices, engineering, business information and other risks of industrial, commercial and personal lines.

    Some Honorary Fellows were inducted on the occassion. They include: Mr Oye Hassan-Odukale, Chief Prosper Okpute, Dr Remi Olowude, Prof Joe Irukwu, Chief Theophilus Idowu and Chief P.O.N. Egbuniwe.

  • Surveyors seek systematic risk management in construction

    Surveyors seek systematic risk management in construction

    President of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) Mr Agele Alufohai, has renewed the call for a more systematic management of risks in the construction industry.

    Alufohai, who made the call in a paper he presented at the two-day international workshop on the theme Achieving enhanced value in construction projects delivery: The impact of appropriate risk management strategy, said that professionals in the construction industry, such as their counterparts in other industries with high risk exposure, need to have excellent ways of managing risks.

    He spoke on Risk in construction development: An overview of the concepts, principles and practice of risk management.

    He said professionals in construction business contend with financial and contractual risks, amongst others.

    The NIQS boss said contractual risks are basically those with flaws or problems with ‘contract documents, inappropriate documents or improper contractual relationships. These problems, he stated, can in turn lead to claims and disputes, disruption or even stoppage of work, delays and inflation in costs.

    Similarly, he added, financial risk influences the flow of money, pointing out that this could result from non-availability of funds when they are highly needed. Alufohai said financial risks are encountered not just in the Third World but also across the world.

    However, he emphasised that the problem extends to other issues in developing countries, such as lack of financial infrastructure making for lack of robust infrastructure when it is available.

    Other factors militating against smooth operation of the construction industry, he said, include climatic risks, design and construction risks, political risks, taxation regimes and tax incentives.

    He, however, acknowledged that some of those challenges do not pose serious threat in Nigeria, especially when one compares it to what prevails in countries such as the Gambia.