By UGOCHUKWU EKE
Abia State Governor,Dr Ikezie Ikpeazu has pledged to partner the Nigerian Institution of estate surveyors and valuers with a view to making the profession more attractive in the state.
He was speaking at the Government h a House,Umuahia when he received in audience the national president of the institution,estate surveyor Rowland Abonta and other national officers who paid him a courtesy visit.
He promised to look into some of the issues raised by the national President including the establishment of a valuation office in the state.
The Governor however regretted the paucity of committed and dedicated estate valuers in the state and stressed the need for more of such professionals in the state.
According to him,the imperatives of governance today has made it necessary that the state government intervenes on certain matters pertaining to tax.
Earlier,the national president had commended the Governor’s giant strides in the area of infrastructure which is now a model for other Governor’s as well as the cordial relationship between him and estate surveyors and valuers in the state.
He called for the establishment of a state valuation office and appointment of a valuer general for the state to improve revenue generation and proper management and accountability of public assets.
While advocating for the establishment of a land use and allocation committee in the state as. provided by the land use act,he stressed the need for the urgent review of. the Abia State property and land use charge law which he said has many defects.
He however applauded the digitalization of land records in Abia state through the Abia geographic information system but noted that Abia was yet to key into the federal government’s new land reform programme of systematic titling.
The Governor was later invested as the patron of the association.
