NIQS wants FG to establish cost data bank, appropriate standards

NIQS wants FG to establish cost data bank, appropriate standards

NIQS wants FG to establish cost data bank, appropriate standards

The institute says that poor enforcement of
laws in Nigeria has caused the entire
populace to be shortchanged. Good
governance is consensus oriented,
accountable, participatory, transparent,
responsive, equitable and inclusive, it
follows the rule of law; it should be
effective and efficient.
MEMBERS of the Nigerian Institute of
Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) have
advocated for the establishment of cost
data bank with adequate dissemination
of information to all stakeholders.
They are also making case for
appropriate standards in the Nigerian
built environment. According to the
surveyors, international construction
measurement standards are needed in
Nigeria to grow the economy and
enhance the activities of the industry,
since Nigeria is said to be next to China
in construction activities.
In a communiqué issued after its
Biennial Conference held in Lagos
Oriental Hotel, last week, on the theme:
“Politics, Policies and National
Development – The Role of
Professionals”, NIQS observed that
contracts are treated as sacred in most
countries but the reverse is the case in
Nigeria.
The document signed by Secretary,
Professional Development, Dr. Ejike
Anunike, and
​​Secretary, Marketing and Corporate
Affairs, Mr. Olujide Oke, noted that the
nation’s culture is responsible for the
underdevelopment being experience in
Nigeria because most of the leaders do
not see themselves as servants to the
people they governed.
According to them, “good governance is
consensus oriented, accountable,
participatory, transparent, responsive,
equitable and inclusive, it follows the
rule of law; it should be effective and
efficient.”
Besides, it was observed that the
relationship between transparency and
investment in direct, that is, the more
transparent a country is, the more
inward investment she receives and that
there cannot be foreign investment if
there is no respect for rules of
engagement.
NIQS urged professional bodies to
establish functional research arm in
form of think tank and the outcome of
the research made public; and
professionals’ aspiration should be
driven by the realization that as human
beings, societal imperatives should be
considered before those of professional
interest.
They stated that poor enforcement of
laws in Nigeria has caused the entire
populace to be shortchanged, and to
ensure accountability, a central body of
professionals should be set up that will
monitor and make those in government
accountable, while the central body is
expected to develop frameworks that will
make government more accountable to
the populace.
The institute also appealed to Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
to engage the services of quantity
surveyors because they have the
expertise in contract documentation,
procurement and administration.