Nigerian Institution Of Estate Surveyors & Valuers Holds Its Annual Lecture Series, The John Wood Ekpeyong Memorial Lecture.

  +Inducts 62 Members As Fellows of the Institution

+Honours Alh. Femi Okunnu

  

The national body of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers stormed Lagos on Tuesday 31st January 2023 for the 29th edition of the annual lecture series; The John Wood Ekpeyong Memorial Lecture.

 

The event which was held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos featured the Induction Ceremony for 62 esteemed members who rose to become fellows of the prestigious institution. The event served as an avenue to honour, elder statesman and former Federal Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Lateef Olufemi Okunnu (SAN) as a pioneer honorary fellow of the institution.

 

The memorial lecture was delivered by a highly resourceful guest speaker and penultimate president of the institution, ESV (Dr.) B.J. Patunola-Ajayi. The lecture which was centered on the theme "Competence and Professionalism in Real Estate Practice: Role of Specialisation, saw the speaker reveal the many ways members can improve on service delivery. Meanwhile, he charged them to always see the need to improve on the job so as to stand out among their peers in the profession.

 

Prior to the memorial lecture, the Keynote Speech was delivered by the Lagos state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN). During the address, he acknowledged the grievances of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers as the matter was still in court. He called for dialogue with the state government as a way of ironing things out and jointly forging ahead in sanitizing the sector making it safe for practitioners and investors. Onigbanjo however charged the institution with working on some of its regulations to meet up the demand of time.

 

Following the lecture was the induction ceremony for Alhaji Lateef Olufemi Okunnu and the other 62 members of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers who got elevated as honorary fellow and fellows of the institution.

 

The institution began the induction ceremony with Alhaji Okunnu taking time to narrate the relationship between him and the founding president of the institution, JW Ekpeyong and how he was able to push for laws that backed the profession back then while he was the Federal Commissioner for Works.

 

The president who was joined by leaders of the institution decorated the elder statesman, Alhaji Okunnu. With this, he became the first person to bag the institution's honorary fellowship honour. This was done as a way of appreciating his indelible impact in making the profession more relevant.

 

Addressing the members inducted as fellows of the institution, the president of the institution, ESV Johnbull Amayaevbo charged them with upholding the ethics of the profession which has brought the deserving honour of being called a fellow member of the prestigious association. He, therefore, congratulated them on their achievements.

 

The inductees later filed out in style, wearing their full regalia as they got decorated as fellows of the institution. Having them dressed in colourful regalia was highly glamorous. It was the first of its kind setting the pace for the subsequent inductees to follow. The fond memory of the 2023 Fellows induction ceremony of the institution will continue to be relished by members of the institution. It is the first of its kind.