Institute reduces surveyors’ fees

The Nigeria Institute of Surveyor (NIS), Enugu State Chapter has resolved to reduce its fee for a plot of land in the state by N20, 000.

Mr Ibenaku Onoh, Chairman, State House of Assembly Committee on Lands and Foreign Investment disclosed this at the end of a meeting between the committee and the executives of the institute on Monday.

In October 2019, the land committee frowned at the high rate charged for a plot of land by surveyors in the state.

Onoh said that before now, fees for a plot of land in urban areas was N160,000; semi urban cost N140, 000 while those in the rural areas cost N120,000.

He said that after several negotiations with the executives, the fees reduced to N140, 000 for urban areas, N120, 000 for semi urban and N100, 000 for rural areas.

The lawmaker, who was a first time member, representing Enugu North constituency said that any decision reached was to improve the state.

He said that the cost of surveying a plot of land in Enugu had been N160, 000 since May 2018 which was not applicable in any part of the country.

He demanded to know the cause of the increase and how to remedy it to suit the current economic challenges’ in the state.

Onoh said that out of N160, 000 that was charged by surveyors in Enugu, only N1, 000 was remitted to the state government’s purse.

He commended the surveyors for their cooperation since the matter started, noting that it took people with large heart to review downwards already fixed price for public interest.

In his contribution, Mr Augustine Didigwu, Chairman, state chapter of NIS said that the reduction was to improve the lives of people.

Didigwu said that the deduction was agreed after series of meetings and that it was called discount because it was internal arrangement among elders of the institute.

Responding to questions, Surveyor-General, Mr Godwin Ishiwu said that the decision to reduce the prices was by Surveyor Private Practitioners of Nigeria, practicing in the state.

Ishiwu said that they domesticated the fees based on their own perception of what was obtainable at the national levels in 1996.

“The Federal government gives scale of fees to practitioners in construction industry and it has been a guide for each practitioner,” he said.

The surveyor-general said that his mandate was to ensure that what practitioners did at the site was in conformity with ethics of the profession, including the way they handled their surveying and instrument used at work.

He said that his primary duty was to take care of government surveys, supervised department under the ministry of lands, executed public surveys and ensure everything was done well.

He said that the price list was controlled by the NIS and did not see what prompted the increment. (NAN)