Surveyors want seized properties management off EFCC, ICPC hands
The Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) has said that for Nigeria to achieve transparency and proper utilization of properties seized from corrupt public officials, the anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC and ICPC must hands off the management of those properties.
The institution which gave this advice at its 46th Annual Conference in Abuja recently, also admonished the federal government to establish the National Property Agency that would see to the management of repatriated assets from corrupt government officials.
James Omeru, the immediate past National President of the institution, explained to newsmen that the idea of having EFCC and ICPC managing seized assets breed more corruption in the system.
“We as Estate Surveyors are saying that the same organs that are fighting corruption should not superintend over the management of properties they have confiscated; if I were the chairman of EFCC in the present day Nigeria and I’ve been given power to seize people’s properties and you still ask me to manage, most of the properties will be in my village and that is what is happening”, he said, stressing that either the EFCC or ICPC or both should not be the organs to sell or manage seized properties but that’s what we are doing now— moving from one level of corruption to another.
He advised the government to set up an agency to be known as National Property Agency to manage properties seized or confiscated by the anti-graft agencies to ensure efficiency and transparency.
Omeru disclosed that the growing and unabated conversion of residential areas to commercial ones, issues on proper planning and the need for government to cite some of its ministries outside the city centre of FCT were the talking points at the conference which had as theme, ‘City Growth: Issues and Challenges of Urban Sustainability’.
“So many areas have been designated as residential but they are physically and evidently commercial; we want to see how we can discuss with government and advocate for them to be reverted to residential”, he said, adding, “we are also discussed how we can convince government to locate some of its offices outside the city centres so as to ease the burden of having the city centre overcrowded.
KEHINDE ABDULSALAM