Ihejirika, former army chief, bags quantity surveyors award

Azubike Ihejirika, former chief of army staff (COAS), has bagged an award from the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS).

The organisers of the award said Ihejirika was considered based on his contribution to the profession and growth of the institute.

The former army chief received the award at an event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the institute in Abuja at the weekend.

Expressing delight over the award, Ihejirika said: “It’s an exciting experience to be remembered for ones contributions to professional development and ultimately national development ultimately, I am happy.”

He said being part of NIQS assisted him to successfully execute projects when he was the number one officer in the army.

He added that the profession has great prospects to contribute to national development.

“It will pay to get quantity surveyors and all forms of construction and infrastructural development. There are a  lot of benefits, it will address cases of abandoned projects because the QS has knowledge of construction process,” he said.

“It has the ability to monitor cost trends and is in a position to forecast or foresee likely impediments in the implementation of projects.

“Without being a QS, I wouldn’t have done the much I did in terms of project implementation, so my knowledge of this encouraged me to take on abandoned projects and ensure that no project was abandoned while I was leaving office.”

Bola Owasanoye, chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), said the  NIQS has collaborated with the ICPC to monitor constituency projects intended for development.

Owasanoye said the issue of building collapse, unnecessary upward review of contract and so on, and charged the institute to put all hands on deck, uphold its code of ethics and punish infractions.

He called for more collaboration with the institute to stamp out corruption.

Murtala Aliyu, president, Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria,  charged the board to draw up a strategic plan for the profession and for the institute thfor the next 50 years.