FCT
Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has appealed to the Nigerian
Institute of Quantity Surveyors to prevail on its members across the
country to put their heads together and come up with measures that would
help reduce the high cost of projects in Nigeria.
The
Minister made this call when a delegation from the Nigerian Institute
of Quantity Surveyors, led by its President, Mrs. Mercy Torkwase
Iyortyer paid him a visit in his office at Area 11, Garki I District,
Abuja.
Malam
Bello said that the huge cost of doing business was detrimental to the
image and perception of the country as government was being fleeced of
resources it could put to other uses.
According
to him, the perception out there is that projects in Nigeria are very
expensive and overpriced, adding; “These prices do not come from the
air, they are written by people who are professionals.”
The
Minister decried that there was a lot of corruption in the area of
large ticket items like purchase and construction and said that efforts
are ongoing to ensure that relevant Procurement Departments are handled
by professionals.
“Everybody
have to be very professional and conscious of this enormous
responsibility especially making sure that whatever is monetary related,
are handled with patriotic zeal by doing what is right.” the Minister
reiterated.
He
said the FCT Administration is willing to have professional Quantity
Surveyors in all its committees that have to do with their jobs to
enable the government draw from their expertise.
His
words: “Sometimes, expertise from your members who are not saddled with
the day to day responsibility of office work in a setup like the FCTA
will be good because some of you are in the public sector; some are in
the private sector; some are in the security agencies; some of you are
in the educational sector all with different orientation. However, all
professional bodies would be considered to at least guide us as to what
the regulations are.”
The
Minister also said there were ongoing efforts to eliminate the delays
and the difficulties that people go through before they get their
approvals for building plans, through the Development Control
Department.
He
thus, frowned at cases where documents lie for more than one year
without approval, which he described as a big challenge to his
Administration and other professionals in the field.
“I
have noted the concerns of the general public in respect of the delays
and the difficulties that people go through before they get their
approvals for building plans, through the Development Control
Department. As an Administration, we want to ease how business is being
done in all aspects of government because the more business thrives, the
more the private sector thrives; the more your industry will thrive;
the more development we get; the more employment is generated and the
more government will get revenue through taxation,” he stressed.
Speaking
earlier, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors,
Mrs. Mercy Torkwase Iyortyer congratulated the Minister over his
appointment; noting that his appointment has come at this critical
moment in the daunting history of our nation which is indeed a blessing
to the entire residents of the FCT.
According
to her, “your leadership qualities of integrity, forthrightness,
sagacity, transparency and prudency while serving as the Executive
Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria are indeed reference
points in public service. The impacts of those noble qualities are
already being made manifest in the manner in which you are piloting the
affairs of the FCT Administration.”
“Your
Administration’s determination to provide modern engineering
infrastructure in Satellite Towns, including upgrading the existing ones
are steps in the right direction. This will go a long way in making
life more meaningful to residents of those areas,” she added.
Mrs.
Iyortyer also lauded the Minister’s ongoing effort in tackling
challenges of environmental sanitation, thereby ensuing wholesome and
hygienic environment to the residents.
The
President stated that the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors is a
professional body of Quantity Surveyors in Nigeria founded in 1969 and
was granted legal recognition and backing by Decree Number 31 of 1986 to
train and produce World Class Quantity Surveyors.
Muhammad Hazat Sule, FCAI
Deputy Director / Chief Press Secretary,
Monday, May 30, 2016. |
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