Estate surveyors and valuers have said they are determined to tackle quacks and fraudsters who are involved in fraudulent property transactions.
The surveyors, under the aegis of Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Ogun state branch, made this vow in reaction to rising cases of property scams, especial lands, in the real estate market.
The huge influx of people and corporate entities seeking accommodations at different locations in Ogun has made the state a hotbed for fraudulent activities in its burgeoning real estate market.
“We will work closely with the state government to stop fraud and quackery in estate development and management, mortgage negotiations, sale of land and property, among others,” Akinwale Ojo, the institution’s new branch chairman assured.
Ojo who spoke at the inauguration of the branch’s newly elected Exco members in Abeokuta, the state capital, warned would-be property owners to always patronise professionals for their property acquisitions.
The new chairman, who is also the General Manager of Ogun State Housing Corporation, said that the institution would also work with allied professionals in order to totally eliminate sharp practices in the real estate market.
“In the 70s, when we were growing up, you dared not do things anyhow and we want to believe that with the efforts of the allied professionals in the built environment and government, we will get it right again,” he assured.
“People are just selling property without being professionals, without the right skills and education that are required. We are going to work with the people that are concerned to ensure that, in this nation, in this state, things are done properly,” he added.
The chairman, who is a UK-Chartered Surveyor and Mortgage Advisor, noted that people were being defrauded of their resources on daily basis, assuring that they would rise against that and put smiles on the faces of the people in Ogun state and the nation at large.
Other Exco members who were elected with Ojo are Adeolu Adejinmi, Vice-Chairman; Adebola Folaji, General Secretary; Idowu Surajudeen, Treasurer.; Abdul Emmanuel, Public Relations Officer; Moshood Olude, Financial Secretary; Akingbade Olabode, Assistant-Secretary; Salmon Shobanke, Ex-Officio I and Olaseni Adetokunboh, Ex-officio II.
