FG Inaugurates Estate Surveyors Board, Tasks New Team on Proper Regulation

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The federal government has inaugurated the new Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON), urging the team to ensure firm regulation of the profession in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event in Abuja, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, urged the 22-member professional body under the supervision of the ministry to help transform the housing sector.
The minister recalled that the inauguration of the new ESVARBON board had become necessary due to the expiration of terms for several board members, which  led to a shortage of active members.
“It is important to note that the board is an essential organ charged with the duty of overseeing the profession of Estate Surveying and Valuation in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu has mandated the ministry to transform the housing sector for the actualisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Therefore, all agencies, institutions, and parastatals under the ministry must be alive to their responsibilities and work hard towards achieving the objectives for which they were set up,” he added.
Dangiwa stressed that estate surveyors and valuers play an important role in the successful delivery of affordable housing across Nigeria.
Furthermore, estate surveyors, the minister pointed out, contribute significantly to urban planning and development, helping to ensure that housing projects are well-structured, financially viable, and sustainable.
“By working closely with developers, they help optimise resources, making housing more affordable for Nigerians.

“In addition to their role in housing delivery, estate surveyors are critical in preventing building collapses which this ministry aims to address. They do this by ensuring that property inspections and assessments are thorough and in accordance with professional standards.

“Their adherence to safety and regulatory compliance helps to protect lives and investments, preventing the tragic incidents of building failures that have plagued some areas of our country,” he added.

In realising these objectives, the ESVARBON board, Dangiwa said, should determine who qualifies as estate surveyors and valuers, establish the required standards of knowledge and skill for those seeking registration as estate surveyors and valuers and maintain a register of qualified persons and publishing the list periodically.

In addition, he stated that it also has the mandate of regulating and controlling the practice of estate surveying and valuation and performing other functions as conferred by the Act.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of ESVARBON, Dosu Fatokun, said that one key responsibility of the body is ensuring the valuation of public buildings for insurance purposes.

“Unfortunately, compliance with this directive remains inadequate at all levels. I seek the ministry’s collaboration in enforcing this policy nationwide,” he stated.

He explained that the board remains unwavering in its commitment to the ethics of the profession and plans to achieve it through specialisation in the area of practice.

Fatokun further requested for more funding as well as exemption from the recent federal government’s decision to stop the funding of the organisation.