NIESV Backs CCB Act Amendment

The Nigeria Institute of
Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) has declared its support to the Senates  amendment  of the Act establishing, the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) to give it independence.
The NIESV made this  declaration at its 46th annual countervence, which held at Abuja last week, through its National President, Olorogun James Omeru who also advocated for the establishment of National Property Management  Agency to manage properties  confiscated from  confirmed treasury looters.
The Estate Surveyors and valuers also urged the Senate to make it mandatory that assets declaration be compulsorily accompanied with a valuation certificate signed by a registered estate surveyor and valuer to guard against under-declaration or anticipatory.
Declaring the conference open the Senate  President, Senator Bukola Saraki expressed regrets that the real estate sector in the country was ridden with cases  of inflation of values in rents, overpriced land, lack of integrity and other forms of corruption.
The Senate President called on NIESV to develop strategies that would sanitise the industry, while charging them to establish high reputable professional standards in the conduct and practice in land administration in the country.
He observed that the increasing demand for urban development  infrastructure  has compelled  some state  governments to conceptualise ways of boosting internally generated  revenue  through property tax, pointing out that stakeholders have criticize the imposition of such taxes.
The Senate President who spoke through the chairman, Senate Committee on Housing, Senator Barnabas Gemade, also noted that the conference presented a ventable opportunity for NIESV to partner with government to deliver on set goals  that would significantly improve the well-being  of the people.
In his speech, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola, stated that Nigeria is faced with a housing  deficit, which  must be reduced using  clear plan that government was working on already.
Fashola, who was represented by his Special Adviser, Biodun Oki, stated that government alone could  not provide  all the houses needed  by Nigerians, adding that in tackling  the  issue of housing deficit, the housing  ownhership and rental strategy should be addressed in detail.
He appealed to NIESV to find a way of making housing accommodation more affordable and urged them to consider weekly or monthly rent payment instead   of the yearly payment currently in practice.