BY Jude Njoku

…Makes C of O mandatory in Imo State
Barely one year to the celebration of Nigeria’s centenary as a nation, the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has challenged estate surveyors and valuers in the country to partner with state governments to build centenary cities in each of the 36 states in the country.

The Governor who was a special guest at the conferment of the Fellowship of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, NIESV on the National Chairman of his party, the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh and 19 others in Lagos, last week, challenged estate surveyors and valuers to be more  creative in their practice  instead of over concentrating on estate agency.

*Imo state Gov Okorocha

The conferment of the Fellowship was the high point of the 19th JW Ekpenyong memorial lecture  delivered by the Chairman of the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria, ESVARBON, Mr. Ayodele Sangosanya.

Okorocha also called on the land professionals to partner with the Imo State Government to develop the Oguta Blue lake. He told the Institution that instead of going cap in hand to solicit for funds to bankroll its programmes, it should partner with the state governments to develop model cities, contending that the Dubai’s of this world developed through such models.

Describing Nigeria as one of the richest countries which has the poorest people in the world, the Governor attributed this scenario to the under-utilization of land and over dependence on revenue from oil. He called for an urgent review of the Land Use Act to make land easily available to citizens and to also make existing lands valuable.

According to the Governor, all lands in Imo state will from henceforth have valid title documents which includes the certificate of occupancy, C of O. Similarly, land in all the communities in the state would be surveyed and covered with survey plans. Acquisition of the C of O, according to him, will not cost more than one thousand Naira.

His words: “My challenge to the members of this noble institution is that they should drive the creation of new cities as Nigeria celebrates 100 years of nationhood. This you can do by partnering with government to ensure that every land in the country has value and the only way a land can have value is by registering the land and obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy. With government backing and with the name of the Institution, the doors to every bank in the country will be opened to your members who wish to secure loans to develop new cities”.

The Imo state helmsman who insisted that it is the lack of visionary leaders that has turned Nigeria to “a rich country with poor people,” called for the devolution of power. Explaining why governments have failed to attract foreign investors despite numerous trips to Europe and America, he said the governance structure in Nigeria is akin to “a lady with a big head, big stomach and skinny legs who can never attract a rich suitors”.

He explained that the big head alluded to is the Federal Government and the big stomach represented the state governments while the tiny legs depicted the local governments. Condemning the concentration of wealth on the Federal and state governments, Okorocha further drew attention to the current practice in Imo State where a community based approach has been adopted in governance.

Earlier, the NIESV President, Mr. Emeka Eleh challenged members of the institution to play active role in politics in order to initiate and influence policies of government.

“Members of NIESV must become active in the politics of this country for the good of the profession and in the greater interest of Nigeria”, he said, adding that  “it is only when you are in government through participation that you can initiate and influence policies affecting our profession and other Nigerians for good”.

On the theme of the Ekpenyong  lecture which was ‘Honesty and Devotion in Nigeria’s Transformation Agenda’, the NIESV President explained that the professional training of estate surveyors in project management and asset valuation, puts them in good stead to transform Nigeria through honest and transparent leadership.