Estate surveyors, RICS parley on global best practices

With a further push, the parley may lead to the approval of a proposed Memorandum of Understanding on training and institutional support, a document, which NIESV had already submitted to RICS.

TOWARDS the development of estate surveying profession in Nigeria, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), last in Lagos, agreed to evolve a closer relationship.

The closer tie, according to them, if sustained, would place the practice of estate surveying in the country at vantage position, which would command global recognition.

Besides, the parley may lead to soon approval of a proposed Memorandum of Understanding on training and institutional support, a document, which NIESV had already submitted to the global body.

As a prelude to the stronger tie between the two organisations, a meeting was held in Lagos last week at NIESV’s Lagos office, located within the Central Business District, Alausa, Lagos, as a team of the global association of realtors visited the leadership of the institution.

Leading the RICS’ team was the Chief Executive Officer, RICS, Mr. Mark Walley. Sub-Sahara Africa Region, RICS, Mr. Wafula Nabitola and another Director of the global body, Mrs. Jonnifor Welch.

Officials of NIESVS and RICS, Nigeria chapters’ at the parley include the immediate past president, NIESV, Mr. Emeka Eleh, the president, Mr. James Omeru, the first vice president, Dr. Joshua Ajayi-Patunola and a renowned realtor, Mr. Akin Olawore. Others are, Mr. Yinka Omotosho, Mr. Rogba Orimolade and NIESV’s public relations officer, Mallam Bature among others.

In his welcome address, Omeru, who said the history of NIESV was in many ways interwoven with the RICS, added that, since NIESV’s inception, the institution has been very conscious of the need to ensure the highest ethical and practice standards amongst its membership.

According to him, apart from its internal self-regulatory mechanism, the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON), a body established by the government NIESV, also regulates the profession, among others like Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN).

He said: “All our members must subscribe to our code of ethics and practice and the institution is a member and has been playing an active role in the International Valuation Standards Council. In fact, our representative, Mr. Akin Olawore, is a past Director of the Council and represents us at its AGM.

“We subscribe to all professional protocols such as the International Property Measurement Standards and the International Ethics Standards. We train our members on these standards and are currently working on additional Guidance Notes for the various areas of practice”, the president affirmed.

Continuing, Omeru said: “In view of our interwoven history and the need for joint efforts toward attaining high global standards in the real estate sector, we have for a while been desirous of entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with the RICS to assist further in the area of training and institutional support. We do not wish to reinvent the wheel but to work with credible partners such as the RICS.