Get Guardian on GoogleThe Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), has commenced a membership interview exercise for prospective professional members, with about 1,000 candidates expected to undergo the assessment across three geographical zones.
The NIESV said that prospective members were expected to have undergone about two years of professional tutelage after graduation, working under experienced practitioners in either the public or private sector.
Speaking in an interview with The Guardian, the President of NIESV, Mallam Bature Ali Muhammad, said the exercise, taking place simultaneously in Abuja, Lagos and Enugu, was designed to assess the candidates’ professional competence, practical experience and readiness to practise as registered estate surveyors and valuers.
Muhammad explained that candidates must pass the institution’s professional examinations before proceeding to the next stage, which involves preparing a synopsis, described by the institution as a critical analysis of their practical experience.
According to him, the critical analysis is expected to reflect the candidate’s professional exposure and knowledge acquired during practical training under the supervision of a senior professional member with at least five years of professional experience.
He said the submitted work would be examined by the Membership Committee, which, upon approval, would invite the candidate for a formal interview.
He said: “The importance of this exercise is that we want to ascertain how professionally competent you are because you are going to be registered as a professional member. We need to test your professional competence and identify areas where you may require corrections or further development.”
The NIESV president said the interview was not designed to intimidate candidates but to provide an interactive platform for evaluating their understanding of the profession and addressing identified knowledge gaps.
He noted that he had addressed the interview committees across the three zones virtually before returning to his office.
Muhammad said he had encouraged candidates to remain calm, stressing that the interview would focus on their practical knowledge rather than merely testing their ability to memorise professional definitions.
He added, “We want you to come and tell us what you know. The questions are practical because the work you submitted is based on practical experience. We want to identify where you are lacking so that we can help you improve.”
He explained that candidates would be asked practical questions based on the areas of professional practice covered in their critical analysis, including valuation, facilities management, property management, acquisition and conveyancing, among others.
Also speaking, the Second Vice-President of NIESV, Olushola Abeji, described the membership interview as a major screening stage in the process of admitting qualified candidates into the profession.
Abeji explained that candidates must pass through foundation and intermediate stages, depending on their entry routes, and successfully complete several professional examinations before qualifying for the interview.
He said the interview was a critical requirement before candidates could proceed to the Registration Board for formal registration as professional Estate Surveyors and Valuers.
He emphasised that the process was intended to ensure that only candidates who had demonstrated the required academic knowledge, professional training and practical competence were admitted into the profession.
Abeji urged members of the public to distinguish qualified Estate Surveyors and Valuers from individuals who merely describe themselves as property agents or caretakers.
He said: “Anyone who qualifies as an Estate Surveyor and Valuer must have completed a minimum of five years of rigorous academic training, skills acquisition and professional development.
“The public should therefore understand that Estate Surveyors and Valuers are not merely agents or caretakers, as some people refer to them.
“They are trained professionals who have attended university, undertaken professional examinations and completed the statutory registration process through the Registration Board before being recognised as qualified practitioners.”
He urged Nigerians to engage qualified Estate Surveyors and Valuers for property-related services, rather than entrusting such responsibilities to unqualified individuals.
