Valuer Wants Govt Policy On Property Compensation Revisited

An estate surveyor and valuer in Port Harcourt; Gabs Oforma, has said that the current government policy and guideline act on property compensation have not given adequate reward to owners of property, and therefore need to be revisited through legislation.

Oforma, a fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), who  spoke in a forum on compensation in Port Harcourt being put together by the institution, said the land owners, especially in the Niger Delta had not been receiving adequate compensation on their properties, especially as it relates to oil spills.

He said, “the issue of property damages in the process of oil exploration was an area we are worried about even as estate surveyors and valuers. And we had relied on the old practice”.

According to him, when there is oil spills, seafood are damaged and compensation issues had reminded a point of disagreement.

Oforma posited that without proper assessment, there was the tendency that the affected people would be under compensated, adding that there was need to get the proper rate if proper compensation would be made.

Giving instances of spills in Ogoniland, the valuer posited that the value of cassava in the Niger Delta would not be the same with those in the northern part of Nigeria, stressing that their values would not be the same.

He said “government policy on compensation and guideline act need to be revisited through the legislative assemblies. Proper environmental education and full enlightenment towards better understanding need to be undertaken, and thorough investigation to determine the extent of spill and pollution on land should be properly enhanced”.

Corlins Walter