Surveyors
To check several litigations occasioned by quackery in the State, Akwa Ibom State Government has called on the State chapter of Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) to submit list of all licensed members to it.
The State’s Commissioner of Housing and Special duties, Prince, Enobong Uwah, made the call when officials of the institute led by its chairman, Clement Akpan visited him in his office.
Uwah, who is also the Chairman, Uyo Capital City Development Authority [UCCDA], noted that, having the list of all licensed surveyors in the state would help check incidences of unnecessary infringement on government lands by quacks.
According to him, there are so many litigations pending in the courts as results of the unwholesome activities of these middlemen.
“When a surveyors is commissioned by a developer to survey a piece of land, he goes there and knowing fully well that the land belongs to the state government he goes ahead to survey it for a fee and issues a certificate of deposit.
“And if the UCCDA declines approval on the basis that the land belongs to government, the next thing is that the developer will take the authority to court. We have a lot of cases still pending in courts as result of these”, he said.
Earlier, the State chairman of NIS has highlighted the dangers of illegal surveys to designs, construction and legal possessory rights.
He stated that NIS has requested the UCCDA, the courts and planners to demand for tender survey plans and the associated certificates of deposit.
The certificate of survey plan deposited with the Office of the State Surveyor General (OSSG), he said would indicate that the survey was done in accordance with the prevailing laws.
Meanwhile, a senior lecturer in the Department of Geography and Regional Planning, University of Uyo, Dr Abiola Ofem has called for the immediate implementation of the 1992 indigenous town planning laws in the Akwa Ibom state.
Ofem, who is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), said, once such is done, it would help correct the imperfections in the 1946 colonial laws which are still in operation in the state.
He regretted that most states of the federation including Akwa Ibom are yet to buy into the indigenous town planning laws decree 88 of 1992 which considered the totality of the socio-economic needs of the Nigerian people.
Ofem who attributed the reluctance to implement the national laws to lack of political will, said that, the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria clearly states that the function of land implementation is domiciled with the local government areas.
He stressed that the local planning authority [LPA] should be with the local government and not the state.
