The Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria has called on professional surveyors to always uphold the highest ethical standards.
According to a statement, the surveyors made the call at 2022 Valuers’ Assembly held in Abuja.
Speaking on the theme of the event, “The role of professional ethics in nation building: Estate surveying and valuation profession in mind,” the Registration Board’s Chairman, Gersh Henshaw, said that as a foremost regulatory body of the valuation and property profession, ESVARBON would not relent in promoting best practices of the profession anchored on sound ethical standards, rules and regulations.
He said the board would continue to deepen societal awareness of the profession and roles of estate surveyors and valuers.
The keynote speaker,Dr. Christopher Kolade, who noted that no nation could grow beyond the value it places on its code and ethical practices, said estate surveyors and valuers must do everything in line with their codes of practice.
According to him, the professional values and ethical principles in the code should be the way of life of professional estate surveyors and valuers, not only in their estate surveying and valuation work, but also in other aspects of their endeavours.
“This must be our first conclusion; that when these professionals do anything important on nation building, for instance, they should proceed as demanded of them by their own code of conduct,” he said.
He added that by living and acting in line with stipulated standards, the practitioners would ensure that their professional ethics could influence their nation building efforts positively.
Head of Department, Real Estate and NPO, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, Moses Azege, lamented that the real estate sector had become a veritable tool for money laundering and other underhanded practices.
He regretted that many players in the industry have a low understanding of money laundering and terrorism financing.
According to him, real estate professionals focus on business risks, and many of them have a poor grasp of money laundering and terrorism financing the risks associated with their customers, and the products and services they offer.
To correct the trend, he said Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit would henceforth close the gap between it and ESVARBON.
Azege also urged ESVARBON to amend its regulations to incorporate the requirements of Anti-Money Laundering/Counter Financing Terrorism.