TIPS ON HOW TO RAISE THE PROFILE OF MEMBERS OF A PROFESSIONAL BODY (NIESV)

QUESTIONS: The profession of estate surveyor and valuer seen not to be popular either in the public or private sector despite it’s almost 50yrs. If you are elected into co-operate membership of NIESV, what steps can you take to make the profession popular? Give tips on how to raise the profile of members of the professional. 

ABSTRACT

Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers has been in existence for decades which is made up of professionals who have obtained degrees in universities and other higher institutions offering the course that qualifies one to be in such caliber. Though with its several years of existence do not enjoy much popularity in the sight of the public. Therefore this write up seeks to find the likely problems which created this ugly trends and tries to find solution to the problems in order to raise the profile of members of the Nigeria Institute of Estate Surveyor and Valuer.

1.0     INTRODUCTION

The Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuer (NIESV) was founded in 1969 by a handful of Chartered General practice Surveyors who were trained mainly in the United Kingdom. The institution was granted official government recognition by the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Decree No. 24of 1975.

Furthermore, the Estate Surveyor and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) established by the Decree was a milestone as it sets up the necessary official machinery for the regulations of the profession of Estate Surveying and valuation in the country.

The profession is been faced with diverse challenges and confrontations because every profession has its own challenges as well which makes the profession and its members unpopular. Therefore, this body of work is to critically examine the challenges of the Board and the Institution, analyze the problems and proffer a solution to them and possible ways of raising the profile of its members.

2.0     LITERATURE REVIEW

This is the body recognized by the Federal Republic of Nigeria through the constitution. The institution was granted official government recognition by the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Decree No. 24of 1975.The Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) was founded in 1969 by a handful of Chartered General practice Surveyors who were trained mainly in the United Kingdom.

As a practitioner of Estate Management and Valuer profession and being elected into co-operate membership of NIESV identifying the various challenges facing the profession and proffering suggestion and recommendations to ways of remedying the identified challenges will go a very way to raise the profile of members of the profession.

2.1     PROBLEMS FACING NIGERIA INSTITUTE OF ESTATE SURVEYOR AND VALUER (NIESV)

Nigeria Institute of Estate Surveyor and Valuers as a professional bodies face a lot of challenges which tries to put the image of the profession in jeopardize. Problems like that are outlined below:

                                                         

1.     Poor Income: The low income earned by estate surveying practioners in Nigeria has great negative impact on the moral of the Valuers. The salaries including allowances earned by fresh graduates working in private firms in nothing to write home about considering the high cost of living in Nigeria towns and cities. The consequence is lack to dedication to duties and willingness to pull out of employment immediately after registration with the NIESV.

2.      Bad Leadership of the NIESV: Leadership is another greatest challenge facing the Institution and Board. The objective of good leadership are not adhered to in the profession, hence they are not living by examples for the fellow members of the profession hence adversely affecting the image of the profession.

3.     Lack of Enforcement of Laws: Other major challenges facing estate surveying included lack of enforcement of the legislation governing it, little recognition and awareness by members of the public, low professionalism on the part of practicing members and invasion of the industry by unlicensed and non-professionals that is many predators encroaching on the profession.

4.     Poor Educational background of Members: There are also the educational challenges facing the profession of estate management in contemporary Nigeria. Training of future estate surveyors and valuers, and re-training of practicing ones have been very challenging. There is evidence that the syllabuses adopted by some of the higher institutions offering estate management are outdated and the standard of the graduates is questionable. Considering the current state of academic and professional real estate research and feedback from the practitioners, it is evident that there is a very wide gully between the academic and practitioners.

5.     Another challenge facing NIESV and ESVARBON is that members abandoned their ethical duties and responsibilities in their quest to be rich.

3.0     CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

3.1     CONCLUSION

In the light of the prevailing challenges hindering the popularity and growth  of the NIESV in Nigeria and among its populace, there is need for players to scale up operations in order to reposition the body, and the quickest route to achieving this is the formation of medium sized and large partnerships with 10 to 30 partners in a firm. A workable model is the coming together of a number of small and medium sized firms partnering to form larger ones with the purpose of exploiting the growth opportunities in the real estate industry. Some of the strategies that estate surveyors and valuers may adopt to increase income and maximize the opportunities created by shifting market conditions are: maximizing technology and the internet to the fullest – this will include marketing on the internet and concerted effort to direct traffic to the websites; participating in or building a team – forming a formidable team through partnership, training and retraining of members and finally ensuring the registration of graduates in the professional body to curb the activitities of quacks.

3.2     RECOMMENDATIONS

The followings are recommended to raise the profile of the members of NIESV:

i.              The professional body should establish a high and reputable standard of professional conduct and practice in landed profession throughout Nigeria.

ii.            They should secure and improve the technical knowledge of its member and facilitating the acquisition of such knowledge.

iii.         They should promote the general interest of the profession and maintain and extend its usefulness for the public good.

iv.         They should initiate and consider any legislation relevant to the objectives of the institution.

v.            Acquaint the public with the role of the Estate Surveyor and Valuer in the economic development on Nigeria.

vi.         They should engage in any other lawful activities this may be conducive to the promotion of any or all the objectives of the institution mentioned above for profit or non-profit purpose.

REFERENCES

Estate Surveyor and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria Act 1975.

Kunle Onifade & Sunday Olayide (2007); Professional Practice of Estate Management in Nigeria. Ado – Ekiti, Adetayo Printing (Nig) Ltd.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Olusegun G.K (2008), Estate Office Practice in Nigeria Lagos, Climax Communication Ltd.

Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers Constitution.