Quantity Surveyors Demand Government Intervention In House Rents

The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) has called on the federal government and the National Assembly to provide direction for fixing house rents, particularly in major towns such as Abuja.

President of the Institute, QS Kene Nzekwe, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at a press conference to commemorate the 31st NIQS Biennial General Meeting and National Conference.

Nzekwe, who stated that his Institute has been guiding the government, also reiterated that it is the government’s responsibility to take action and chart a direction for stakeholders in the sector.

“We will continue to ask the government, the policy makers, and even the legislators, to put policies in place or do legislations that no matter what, I mean you cannot ask somebody for a two-bedroom house in Abuja to pay five million. And there has to be legislation to limit the demand by people providing those housing facilities”, he demanded.

To create an effective environment for all industry players in the built environment to thrive, he urged players to adopt digital technologies and standardised practices that will promote growth in the sector.

Nzekwe emphasised that digital technology and adopting standardised practices will promote openness and foster a competitive, ethical business environment that is essential to attract private sector investments in the sector.

On the issue of quacks, the President warned members of the body who engage in assignments outside their professional roles and areas of competence, threatening to sanction those who default.

“It doesn’t matter if you are educated, as long as you are not trained to do it, it is still quackery. Unless you are trained to do it and have the competence to do it, then that will be taken as evidence that you are fit and proper to carry out that responsibility,” Nzekwe said.

He further requested that the media assist the body in addressing the challenge of encroachment, describing it as a quagmire.

“We need to be rescued out of that web of people trying to do what they are not trained to do”, he said.