Members of Delta NIESV in a group photograph at the end of the 2016 Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Workshop (MCPD) held in Effurun Delta State. 

By Francis Sadhere

Stakeholders in the country have advocated for synergy between the National Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) and other professional bodies for efficient natural resources damage assessment.

This view was held on Tuesday at the 2016 Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Workshop organized by the Nigerian Institution of the Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Delta State Branch.

Various stakeholders at the workshop agreed that for optimal performance, NIESV needs to work with other professional bodies for quality evaluation for compensation for natural resources damage assessment.

ESV Emmanuel Mark while delivering his paper titled, “Natural Resources Damage: Industry Perspective” during the workshop held at Ishaka Hotel, Effurun, Delta State, noted that professionalism is very important as an estate surveyor and valuer, as it affords one with wide range of opportunities to do their job.

He said though what is paid as compensation is determined by the court, it was very important that surveyors and valuers do their jobs with all sense of professionalism so as not to create loopholes that will be to the advantage of the defense.

He also called on state government agencies to provide estate surveyors with templates and guidelines which they should follow in the course of doing their jobs, adding that claimants must be paid adequate and fair compensation.

While noting that compensation laws were not harmonized, Mark however said that the different laws available to them, serves as a guideline for them to do their work.

The Director General/CEO, National Oil Spill Detection Response Agency (NOSDRA), Sir Peter C. Idabor in his papers titled, “Natural Resources Damage Assessment: Issues and Challenges,” also called for synergy between NIESV and NOSDRA, saying that most government agencies lack the capacity to work.

Idabor lamented that NOSDRA lacks the capacity to function optimally because they do not have enough funds to carry out their task. He despite being one of the most critical government agency in the oil and gas sector, what is budgeted for it was nothing to write home about.

The NOSDRA boss revealed that the National Assembly is amending some of the laws that guide the agency, promising that as soon as the law is amended NOSDRA will be able to work efficiently.

Earlier, ESV Efe Appih, NIESV branch chairman encouraged members of NIESV to always update and sharpen their skills in line with emerging trends for effective service delivery.

Appih noted that the profession was very vast, dynamic still opening new frontiers in practice, explaining that lead and sub themes were “designed to give a broad view in the area of National Resources Damage and Assessment.”

Also speaking at the workshop, chairman of the session, ESV (Olorogun) James Omeru urged NIESV members to broaden their horizon by reading voraciously, stressing that as the only profession laden with the responsibility valuing property, they cannot afford to commit blunders during the course of doing their jobs.

After fruitful deliberation by participants the workshop ended with questions and answers session.