Quantity surveyors tasked with ridding the construction industry of charlatans

Prominent human rights lawyer Mr. Femi Falana, SAN has called on quantity surveyors to take control of the construction industry and help rid the sector of charlatans posing as practitioners.

Speaking at the 14th Distinguished Conference organized by the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Lagos Chapter on the topic: "Professionals in Partisan Politics: Appraising their Roles in Envisioning Economic Growth and Development of Nigeria, Falana stated that the Building Industry Cost Consultants must collaborate with other professional bodies to carry out the primary mission of weeding out quacks from industry for the benefit of the association and the nation.

He assured his collaboration with the group to remove the charlatans from the building.

"You must take complete control of the construction industry. I have offered to work with you to weed out the construction industry quacks, I mean those who present themselves as professionals. They must be verified in the interest of the nation.

“Get your disciplinary body up and running. Many don't work and have caused a lot of trouble. You must monitor your members, promote integrity and ensure that the people you refer are people of integrity."

“There is no successive case of corruption in this country without the professional, whether it is real estate development, rents and falsification of documents. Don't let your association be notorious in this area,” Falana said.

Speaking on the subject of the conference, the human rights lawyer urged industry professionals to join politics in order to deflect power from those he called " challenging," pointing out that most nations that have made progress are professionally led.

“Every professional association should go beyond the interest of the members, but find out what is happening in society. The 2023 policy has arrived.

“NIQS must begin by organizing programs to mobilize members to take part in politics,” he said.

According to him, professionals were transformative leaders in developed economies such as the United States of America, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

Falana, who is also one of the keynote speakers at the forum, looked back, pointing out that Nigeria's independence leaders were professionals, quoting the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a lawyer; the late Dr. NnamidiAzikwe, journalist; and the late Tafawa Balewa, teacher; calling on quantity surveyors and other professionals to rise to the occasion.

As professionals, he said they can do politics while maintaining their integrity by dealing with issues ethically.

“As we move forward to 2023, we will say something. If we act under the auspices of the All Progressive Party (APC) and the People Democratic Party (PDP), we are going to get in trouble,” Falana warned.

On the issue of insecurity, Falana called on Federal and State Governments to install monitoring machines, CCTV cameras and other gadgets in public places/buildings to protect Nigerians from the relentless attacks of the bandits and terrorists.

Falana said the suggestion has become imperative given the disturbing cases of terrorist attacks on churches and correctional centers in the country.

He lamented the recent bombing on the Abuja-Kaduna train, where dozens of people were killed and others abducted; the attack on a Catholic church in Owo, Ondo State, where many worshipers were murdered by terrorists/gunmen; and attack on the Kuje Correctional Center, which he described as the most secure center in the country.

Falana said that these sad events were becoming too many in the country.

"We need to make sure that control machines and CCTV cameras are in public places and buildings.

“We must not wait for a tragedy to occur before acquiring gadgets. We must pressure the government to install these gadgets to protect the public,” Falana said.

Joining the discussion, former Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prince Adeniji Kazeem, corroborated Falana, urging professionals based on their training, who spoke of integrity, of good character and right to join politics, noting that the task of nation building cannot be done by government alone.

He shared his experiences during his tenure and what he was able to infer and understand from state policy, urging professionals to join us in revamping Nigeria's economy.

The keynote speaker, former Bauchi State Governor AlhajiAdamuMuazu commended the institute for supporting the lecture series.

Muazu, who was represented by former NIQS chairman Murtala Aliyu, said the professionals were trained to do a lot of planning, manage resources and adhere to ethical standards.

He said that most of the physical development that took place in Bauchi State was done under him, being a professional.

NIQS Chairman, Olayemi Sh...