New estate surveyors challenged to maintain integrity in practice

Estate surveyors and valuers have admonished new entrants to uphold the tenet of professionalism and path of integrity in the course of duty. Speaking at the induction ceremony for the admission of new Associates into the professional cadre of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) in Lagos, they advised them to ensure strict adherence to the rules and regulations governing the practice of the surveying profession in Nigeria.
 
At its induction ceremony to formally admit 310 newly elected associates into the professional membership of the institution last week in Lagos, NIESV President, Sir Rowland Abonta, urged the newly inducted members to be loyal to the institution, eschew any attitude inimical to the growth and development of the profession.
 
“It is also required of you to decorum and strict adherence to professional ethics and conduct, as your actions and conduct will affect other 18,000 members, positively or negatively,” Abonta said.He urged the inductees to abide by the rules and regulations of the institution as contained in their constitution and code of ethics. “I am an advocate of freedom of speech, but we cannot fold our arms and watch the institution continually being set on fire through hate speech and incitements based on self or group political interests.”
 
Abonta advised the inductees to seek advice from the national council before joining any group that is not recognized by their constitution, nor registrable under Nigerian laws, as to do that will be acting on illegality.Giving stocktaking of the council, he said that “the institution has made tremendous progress in recent times in the areas of public advocacy, professional empowerment through consistent training programmes, interface with the National Assembly on laws affecting our practice, reforms of structures and systems, improved standards, development of our national secretariat, which is proceeding to the fifth floor level.”

Also speaking, the sixth President of the Institution, Alhaji Adetola Shote, urged the inductees to establish good collaborative relationship with others, particularly the older ones in the profession.Shote said that a professional must always accept jobs within the scope of his/her knowledge, saying that the inductees should refer such jobs to those competent to handle them.

The guest speaker who doubles as an estate surveyor, Mr. Ebubechukwu Etudo wants the inductees to have zero tolerance for bribery and corruption, as it is the hallowed pathway to sustainable growth. “That is the way to ensure that professional practice is done with utmost integrity.He also told the inductees to protect themselves from civil liability arising from contract by obtaining professional indemnity cover from an insurance company. “A professional must ensure that his work is carried out with competence, diligence and speed. As estate surveyors and valuers, you must fulfill your corporate social responsibility for tax payments. Tax invasion is a crime,” Etudo added.