By Jude Njoku

To ensure accountability, the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, NIQS has called for the setting up of a central body of professionals to monitor and make those in government accountable. The body would be expected to develop frameworks that will make government more accountable to the populace.

•Mrs Iyortyer acknowledging cheers after her investiture as NIQS President. With her is the immediate past president of the institute, Mallam Murtala Aliyu.

The construction cost experts who rose from their 26th biennial conference and election general meeting in Lagos, also canvassed the establishment of cost data bank with adequate dissemination of information to all stakeholders.

In a communique signed by the new NIQS Vice President, Dr Bedford Ejike Anunike and the re-elected Secretary, Marketing & Corporate Affairs, Mr. Olujide Oke, the Institute recommended the use of international construction measurement standards in Nigeria to enhance the activities of the industry since Nigeria. This recommendation is premised on the fact that Nigeria is said to be next to China in construction activities and the industry will help grow the economy.

Professional bodies

They enjoined professional bodies to use their expertise to make policies that are feasible.

The quantity surveyors also used the well attended conference to call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to engage the services of quantity surveyors because they have the expertise in contract documentation, procurement and adminis-tration.
Participants at the biennial conference who x-rayed the role of professionals in politics, policies and national development, posited that good governance should first invest at home and should invest abroad only if there is a surplus.

“Government should not only attract foreign direct investment but should also retain it. To make professionals in Government responsive to the expectations of professional bodies, those expectations should be declared and made known to them. Professionals should also see the services they offer as personal and individual first to our local community because professionalism in about public interest,” they said..

The biennial conference which was discussion – based observed that: *Contracts are treated as sacred in most countries but the reverse is the case in Nigeria.
* Current research shows that the nature of our culture is responsible for the underdevelopment being experienced in Nigeria because most of our leaders do not see themselves as servants to the people they governed.
*Good governance is consensus oriented, accountable, participatory, transparent, responsive, equitable and inclusive, it follows the rule of law, it should be effective and efficient.
*There is a need to establish appropriate standards in the Nigerian Built Environment.
*Quantity Surveying is a profession that can help prevent corruption if engaged because the profession controls the entire budget of contracts.

It further observed that the relationship between transparency and investment is direct, that is, the more transparent a country is, the more inward investment she receives. There cannot be foreign investment if there is no respect for rules. Poor enforcement of laws in Nigeria has caused the entire populace to be shortchanged.

In a related development, the new president of the Institute, Mrs Mercy Iyortyer has outlined her vision for the quantity surveying profession. Speaking shortly after her investiture as the first female president of the 46-year-old professional body, Mrs Iyortyer released a seven-point action plan for actualising her vision for the quantity surveying for profession.

Quantity surveying

She pledged to build the capacity of members by organising training on the New BESSM4 for all members as well as develop or work in partnership with development partners on a QS Software that will incorporate BESSM4 Quantity Take off as our Standard Method of Measurement.

She promised to support and strengthen the QS Academy to update existing skills and to offer specialised training in new frontiers.
The new NIQS boss who promised to set up a “lobby committee” to pursue the interests of the profession, also pledged to flag off the construction of the Institute’s head office project in Abuja.