Quantity Surveyors Demand Government Intervention In Fixing 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.

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

QS Nzekwe, who said his Institute has been providing direction for the government, also reiterated that it is only the government that has the responsibility of carrying out the action and charting a direction for everybody to key in.

“We will continue to ask the government, the policy makers, and even the legislators, to put policies in place or do legislation 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.

On creating an effective environment for all industry players in the built environment to thrive, the QS boss called on players to adopt digital technologies and standardised practices that will promote growth in the built environment.

QS Nzekwe emphasised that digital technology and adopting to 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 quakes, the President warned against any member of his professional body who engages in assignments outside their professional roles and areas of competence and threatened sanctions to defaulters.

“The issue of professionals trying to do services that they do not have the proper training to carry out. It doesn’t matter if you are educated, so 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. You cannot undertake a matter related to construction cost management and assign it to someone who is not trained to do so.

“The issue of encroachment is indeed an issue that I also want to request the media to also come into the struggle to get us out of that quagmire. We need to continue to be rescued out of that web of people trying to do what they are not trained to do”, he queried.