The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors has renamed its Abuja headquarters after a former president of the institute, QS Joseph Olusegun Ajanlekoko, PPNIQS, NIQS, in recognition of his contributions to the profession.
The institute also commissioned a 100kVA solar power project at the facility as part of efforts to adopt renewable energy.
Speaking during the ceremony, Ajanlekoko described the development as a reflection of the growth of the profession since its establishment in 1969.
He said, “As a young professional body, we were born in 1969, and today we have a building in Victoria Island, and now this one in Abuja. So, it is a testament to what professionals can do if they are committed like we, the Quantity surveyors, are.”
He also addressed concerns over recurring building collapses, stating that such incidents were not usually caused by quantity surveyors.
He stated, “The major cause of collapsed buildings is not attributable to Quantity surveyors, because we are cost managers. The cause of collapsed buildings could be due to the appointment of a bad contractor, or an engineer who is not competent and has been given the assignment.”
He added that professionals in the built environment had formed a coalition known as the Building Collapse Professional Guild to help address the issue.
The President of the institute, QS Aminu Bashir, said the decision to rename the building was approved by the National Executive Council to honour QS Ajanlekoko’s contributions to the institute over the years.
“Today marks the symbolic renaming of our head office to Segun Ajanlekoko House. He was the most illustrious son of the Quantity Surveying profession that has been exported out of this country,” he said.
QS Bashir added that the solar project was part of efforts to reduce energy costs and carbon footprint.
“The cost of energy is rising, and we feel we must go green and also reduce our carbon footprint on the environment. So we initiated a multi-million Naira project which has been successfully completed to the glory of God, and today we commission it as a testament to our commitment to renewable energy,” he said.
The president also announced that other notable figures in the profession were honoured at the event, with the council chamber named after the late Dr. Shehu Olgiwa, a pioneering northern quantity surveyor and scholar, while the data resource centre was named after Emmanuel Chukwu Emeka Ofore, credited with developing one of the first indigenous quantity surveying software solutions.
Chairman of the occasion, Ademola Adebise, said quantity surveyors play a critical role in ensuring cost discipline and transparency in infrastructure development in any country and ours shouldn’t be exception.
SOURCE: IN HOUSE
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