APPSN Calls For Increased Patronage Of Surveyors To Curb Flooding, Building Collapse

The Association of Private Practising Surveyors of Nigeria(APPSN) Lagos branch, has called for increased patronage of surveying professionals to tackle the problems of flooding and building collapse rocking the country.

The chairman, APPSN, Lagos branch, Mr. Adaranijo Rafiu, who stated this at the body’s 2022 annual workshop, luncheon with the theme, “Surveying Safety , Health and Wellbeing of A Surveyor” held in Lagos pointed out that people needed to engage the services of surveyors more in the course of their property development.

He said, ‘’Surveying is the bedrock of any meaningful development, that is why all over the world governments give cohesion to the survey profession but here in Nigeria , we have shouting to the government and other stakeholders that any construction project they want to do should engage the Surveyors. They must be co-opted. Here in Nigeria, we realized that even the government when they have construction jobs including bridges, high rise buildings they will not, we continue to tell them to co-opt a surveyor.

‘’The standard practice is that when a building goes beyond one story, you must engage a surveyor. That is why you are having many building collapses here and there in the country. The right thing is not done in Nigeria.  We are trying as much as possible as a professional body to ensure that we are safe in this country.”

Speaking on the launch of new mobile application for Lagos surveyors, he said the web based app would help to curb quackery in the profession, saying with the deployment of the app the situation would be salvaged.

Also speaking, APPSN’s national chairman Oluseye Dabiri urged the federal government to relax strict restrictions on the use of drones in the country, saying, “the strict restriction on drones is too hard because of security reasons. We are begging the government to see the need. If they can domicile the usage under the Surveyors Council of Nigeria, (SURCON) things will be better. There is a lot of bureaucracy on the usage of drones in the country because of security reasons.

‘’On the long run we cannot monitor the flood and forests, ocean but if you allow surveyors to have access to this under SURCON , our regulatory body it will be better and help the country.’’