Hope Harriman’s unfulfilled dreams

By Clifford Ndujihe

LATE industrialist and iconic Estate Surveyor, Chief Hope Harriman, who died on Wednesday in the United States of America after a brief illness at 79 was a happy man but he had an aching dream he would have loved fulfilled before his death.

The Chartered Estate Surveyor wanted and sought for the merging of the three leading surveying institutions in Nigeria – the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, and Nigerian Institution of Surveyors but could not realise it before his death.

Late Harriman last July led other professional surveyors to seek the merger of the institutions at a cocktail in honour of the NIESV President, Mr. Emeka Eleh, and his NIQS counterpart, Mr. Agele Alufohai, in Lagos.

A consummate chartered surveyor, Harriman said the ideal thing was to brand members of the three professions as chartered surveyors, noting that it was unfortunate that the surveying profession in Nigeria was segmented unlike in other Commonwealth countries where the different surveying practitioners belonged to the RICS.

“The three surveying bodies should try and merge because we don’t stand a chance as fragmented units.   We should not be retarded by the mistakes of the past,” he urged.

Until his death, Harriman’s loved profession remained fragmented.

He attended Government College, Ibadan, North Western Polytechnic, London and Christ’s College, University of Cambridge.

Harriman was regarded as one of the foremost authorities in the practice, education and development of the Estate Management profession in Nigeria and beyond.

PROFILE
Chief Harriman was a real estate guru and front line politician. He was the Sobaloju of Ife and the first Chair of the Ugborodo Community Trust. Principal Partner and Chairman, Harriman and Company

He was born in Warri in 1933 and an alumnus of Government College, Ibadan. He attended Government College, Ibadan, North Western Polytechnic, London, Christ College, and University of Cambridge.

He was a Chartered surveyor by profession, a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Nigerian Institution of Management.

Harriman was board member of numerous companies, including NDCC, NBTC, Evans Medical Plc. He joined the board of Evans Medical Plc, December 2003.

He was one of the leading authorities in practice and development of Estate Management profession in Nigeria and beyond.

He was the pioneer president of the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyor and Valuers (1969-1975) and the first Chapter President, International Real Estate Federation.