Estate surveyors seek role in public assets’ management,valuation

Amid concerns about the usurpation of the role of professionals in the sector, the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Lagos State branch has advised government agencies and parastatals to engage services of practitioners, especially on matters relating to public assets management and valuation.

The institution also decried quackery, which has become a big monster in the industry as many of those who parade themselves, as real estate agents are quacks in the system. This, NIESV explained is making it difficult to accord its members who are the real professionals, the needed identification.

The new chairman of the branch, Mrs. Olabisi Demola-Alade, made the call while speaking to journalists in Lagos. She stated that like professional accountants and similar bodies in Nigeria, estate surveyors are professionals trained in real estate matters with requisite professional competencies administration’s commitment to deepening awareness on estate surveying and urged more advocacy to enable people to know the profession.

She said the branch has mapped out a 10-point agenda, which includes improving on members’ welfare and resuscitate its visitation to about 40 firms of estate surveyors and valuers to know their professional needs.

“We plan to improve the relationship with the public sector, which is the regulatory sector of the economy and as the COVID-19 pandemic fizzles away, we would take advocacy of the profession to a greater height through visitation to critical stakeholders, such as community-based organisations and associations in places where its members have interest,” she stated.

On mentorship, Demola-Alade said the branch would embolden its Young and Passionate Estate Surveyors and Valuers (YPESV) to host innovative and leadership programmes and provide real-time mentoring for young practitioners by senior ones and plan programmes for students through quiz and essays competitions e on a periodic bases.

Demola-Alade said: “We would be working on a partnership among firms. While we may not be able to determine how members undertake their ventures, partnership among professionals is always a win-win for the parties. I believe, we can find a way to encourage partnership among members to build stronger and better firms for better service provision and improved profit margin as well as encourage durable ventures.

As the real estate business is very reliant on accurate data, Demola-Alade stated that the institution would also carry out research and development and data project.

The Vice-Chairman of the branch, Mr. Gbenga Ismail, called for increased awareness on the role of professional estate surveyors and valuers in the society, stressing that this would go a long way in eliminating activities of quacks in the real estate business.