The Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) advises Nigerians to always patronise only registered surveyors to avoid rising cases of land scam in the country.
Surv. Waheed Lamidi, Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS), Oyo State, gave the admonition during a sensitisation walk in commemoration of the 2024 Global Surveyors Day on Thursday in Ibadan.
Global surveyors day is celebrated on March 21 each year to recognise and appreciate the importance of surveyors, their job and the fields in which they work.
Lamidi said that a registered professional surveyor could be easily identified by a unique registration number and address from Nigerian Institution of Surveyors.
“There are so many ways people are duping members of the public when it comes to land matters. I want to advise our people to always consult a registered surveyor before they pay for any land.
“This will help them to ascertain the genuineness of the land they want to buy and reveal whether the land is free from government acquisition and to know if land has not been sold to somebody else.
“It is always advisable to involve professional before paying for land to forestall loosing large amount of money in the process of avoiding token professional fee,”he said.
The chairman added that rising cases of land grabbing in the country must be strategically addressed to drastically reduce the menace within the shortest period of time.
He lamented that in spite promulgation of necessary laws, regulations and adequate punishments against land grabbers, its implementation had not been effective.
According to him, there is need for a synergy between relevant government establishments, security agents and other stakeholders to put a stop to land grabbing issue.
“Some traditional rulers who are the custodian of land also need to be cautioned because many of them always resell lands that their predecessors have sold before their emergence as new traditional leader of the community, “he said.
Earlier, the Coordinating Director, Office of the Surveyor-General of the state, Surv. Amos Okunlola, said that surveying profession remained the first point of call when it comes to land matters which made integrity in the profession a crucial element.
Okunlola, who was represented by the Director, Mapping and Boundaries, Office of Surveyor-General, Surv. Olusoji Adetoye, also solicited for synergy between the office of Surveyor-General and practicing surveyors for proper and sustainable land administration in the state.
“It is time to project good image of the surveying profession.
“We must practise with integrity. Once a surveyor is not misleading a citizen, such person will not be victim of land grabbers or buy land which is under government acquisition, “he said.
The 2024 Global Surveyors Day celebration also featured a “Survey Clinics” where problems and challenges on land acquisitions from the general public were attended to free of charge.