Surveyors, under the aegis of Private Practising Surveyors of Nigeria (APPSN), Lagos Chapter, apparently to enhance the knowledge of its members, has organised its annual workshop.
Tagged annual continuous professional development programmes, where the core objective of the association to ensure that practitioners continue to maintain high professional ethical standard, professionals from relevant disciplines delivered thought provoking lectures at the event.
The Butten Centre, Alausa, venue of the event, witnessed the creme-de-la-creme of professionals, to tap from the theme of discussion: “Corporate Business Ethics: Repositioning Surveying as an Enterprise.”
In his keynote address, the association’s chairman, Odetunmibi Olufemi, a fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors, noted that the practice of surveying has gone through different stages over the years, and being a critical profession whose product is key to the national development, various developments in the nation have had their toll on the way the profession is being practised.
According to him, the advent of and continuous advancement in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry has also greatly reduced the boundaries within the professional enclave. This, he said, placed responsibility on the private practitioners to keep looking at the way they practice so as to remain relevant in the society.
“Land administration will ever remain important in the scheme of things, hence, the need to monitor global approach so we can be active players, especially, to be able to reposition the practice of surveying,” he said.
On the review of professional charges carried out by the association, Olufemidisabused the mind of the public from the view that it was meant to exploit the public.
“The topic of this event is not necessarily to make us milk the people. It’s not about profit maximisation, but rather, to ensure that our practice is in sync with the international best practices.
“Issue of ethical standard cannot be over-emphasised. We must ensure that practioners of surveying are in tune with what operates in the civilised climes”, he said.
In his address, the 1st Guest Speaker, Mr. Alabi J. Olusanya, while emphasising the noble aspect of the theme of event, noted that corporate business should not be over profit making alone, but for some other reasons.
“Some go into private business to make money, some to better the lots of his community, while some just have the desire to mentor the younger ones.
“But the most important thing is that for anybody, especially, professionals who want to go into private practice, it’s necessary to have the mastery of management of men, money and materials”.
In the same vein, Mr. James Ojo Oni, an accountant, who spoke on the same topic, harped severally on how those in paid employment should prepare for retirement by tapping into the Corporate Pension Scheme (CPS), saying it’s the surest way to leave a better life after the strength if failing.
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