By CALEB AYANSINA

ABUJA – The President of the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), EVS James Olorugun has faulted the decision of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to do away with the estate surveyors and valuers in the declaration of assets by public office holders as required by the law.

NIESV Boss maintained that most of the assets declared by their owners were not the actual worth of the properties on ground, because they were not done by the professionals.

Olorugun, who stated this at the 2015 Associates’ Induction Ceremony for not less than 342 new inductees in Abuja, said the role of estate surveyors and valuers could not be neglected or substituted in the fight against corruption.

He added that they had been doing their best to convince the management of CCB but all their efforts were jettisoned.

Olorugun vowed that the institution would do all it could within the law to let the government see the reason in allowing the professionals to do the evaluation of those assets declared by public officials.

He called on all estate surveyors and valuers across the country to up hold the tenets of professionalism.

In his keynote address, the former President of the NIESV, Emeka Eleh tasked the newly inductees and other members of the institution to desist from sharp practices that would not safeguard the interest of real estate clients and other corporate organizations.

According to him, “This sector of our practice is obviously the one that has mostly put us in bad light in the public domain. While it is known that the practice of agency is open to all as at now, it is also true that it is a sector that can easily set us apart from the quacks if our members will act professionally in their dealings.”

He informed that the institution had also put in place stringent processes and code of ethics which all members are meant to abide by to ensure discipline and adherence to professional ethics.

Eleh urged the new inductees to pursue more knowledge and specialize in distinct area of practice warning against the move of hurrying up to setup a one man business at the early stage of the profession.

“I urge you not to be in a hurry to immediately set up a one man shop, while this is your right, the market and your institution is gravitating towards mega firms and strong partnerships where members with multiple specialist competencies within the scope of the profession can team up to set up a practice as is done in Britain and other parts of the developed World,” he said.