..Inducts 27 Fellows

Amid growing challenges confronting estate surveyors and valuers as well as the wider construction industry, the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Rivers State Branch, has stressed the importance of ethical leadership, mentorship and preservation of professional standards.

Chairman of the Rivers State Branch of NIESV, Nwokoma Nwankwo, gave the charge during the induction of 27 new Fellows of the institution, urging them to provide ethical leadership, mentor younger professionals and uphold the highest standards of practice.

Speaking at the orientation and Gathering of Fellows, themed “United in Fellowship: Building Legacy and Advancing Professional Excellence,” Nwankwo said attaining fellowship comes with greater responsibility, visibility and accountability.

He explained that the programme was designed to acquaint newly inducted Fellows with the expectations of the prestigious status, while strengthening leadership, mentorship and institutional development.

“Being a Fellow is not merely a professional destination, but indeed a call to service, a call to leadership, a call to mentorship and a call to the preservation of professional standards and institutional values,” Nwankwo said.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Fellowship Committee, Ben Okoronkwo, described the fellowship as a transition from professional practice to greater responsibilities of leadership and institutional stewardship.

Okoronkwo urged the new Fellows to embrace innovation by leveraging emerging technologies, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital property platforms, to enhance service delivery and remain relevant in an evolving profession.

“Fellowship should not mark the end of your professional growth and development. Rather, it should inspire a renewed commitment to lifelong learning and excellence,” he said.

He further charged the Fellows to mentor probationers, associates and younger practitioners, stressing that the future of the profession depends on effective knowledge transfer.

Delivering the keynote address, the Special Guest of Honour and 24th President of NIESV, Emmanuel Okas Wike, reminded the inductees that fellowship confers greater responsibilities, as they are now regarded as elders of the institution.

“When you’re a Fellow, it assumes that you are an elder of the institution. You are supposed to be a light to the younger ones. You are supposed to be a pathfinder,” Wike said.

He encouraged the Fellows to continually improve their professional practice, collaborate with younger practitioners, particularly in information and communication technology (ICT), and remain actively involved in the affairs of the institution.

The event featured lectures by Professor Victor Akujuru, and Dr. Dapo Olaiya, who spoke on the responsibilities of fellowship and the need to uphold professional excellence, ethical standards and institutional values.