The Executive Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Chijioke Ihunwo, has challenged Estate Surveyors and Valuers to put their training into practice to stem the tide of building collapse in the state.
Ihunwo’s call to action came as he hosted a delegation from the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Rivers State branch, at his office on Wednesday.
The council boss expressed worry over the incessant reports of building collapse in Rivers State, recalling that Obio/Akpor local government has recorded three building collapse in the past one month alone.
He attributed the incidents to poor monitoring and supervision by regulatory bodies, including the Estate Surveyors and Valuers.
“Some of your colleagues, they don’t obey court orders,” Ihunwo said. “We have received so many complaints that money was supposed to be paid to persons whose structures were destroyed to make way for the construction of the Port Harcourt Ring road by Julius Berger, but some of you worked against such payment. I have two direct cases; you have to talk to them because I don’t know if they want to divert the money to their personal account.”
Ihunwo also lamented that some valuers recommend paltry sums as compensation for structures marked for demolition, and in some cases, fail to pay the compensation.
He urged the Estate Surveyors and Valuers to collaborate with his administration to develop the LGA, assuring that his doors are open for talks.
The chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Rivers State branch, ESV Pastor Nwokoma Nwankwo, thanked Ihunwo for appointing one of their members, Mrs. Ogechi Wechie, as the revenue consultant for the local government.
Nwankwo emphasized that as professionals in the building industry, they have a significant role to play in the development of all local governments in Rivers State.
“We know in Rivers State that Obio/Akpor local government is one of the strategically located councils where most persons reside. Based on this, we will, as Estate surveyors and valuers, do our very best to support your administration in the best way possible in moving the local government to new heights,” Nwankwo said.
Estate Surveyors, Valuers Urged To Sit Up As Building Collapse Woes Persist is first published on The Whistler Newspaper