Rivers State Government says the era of double bills of quantities on a single project is now a thing of the past in the State.
Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike who dropped the hint while declaring open the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors Workshop/2016 Annual General Meeting in Port Harcourt explained that double bills on a single project is an avenue to perpetrate fraud and incurring cost overruns.
Represented by his Deputy, Dr. (Mrs.) Ipalibo Harry Banigo, the Governor said the role of Quantity Surveyors as authoritative and impartial advisors on project costing and management would be appreciated better only when they ensure that public projects are appropriately priced and delivered on the basis of realistic estimates and values.
He noted that public expectations are high in many aspects of the professional duties of Quantity Surveyors in terms of quality assurance, cost control, timely delivery and project accountability especially at this period of economic challenges and spiraling hikes in the cost of project delivery, stressing that anything less than 100% performance could discredit the quality efforts of an entire project and destroy their reputation.
Barr. Wike announced that the Management of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt has been directed to ensure that all the programmes that were denied accreditation, including Quantity Surveying regain full accreditation as soon as possible.
The Governor used the occasion to disclose that the State Government has within 17 months delivered over 120 Roads including the total rehabilitation of over 60 Inner City Roads/Streets in Diobu, D-Line, Ogbunabali, Old Port Harcourt Township and Borikiri axis as well as phase one of the Alfred Diete-Spiff Civic Centre.
In line with the visionary transformation agenda of the administration, Barr. Wike pointed out that work is advancing on the dualisation of several road projects in the State while efforts have since been started to execute the government’s strategic plans for the education, healthcare, housing, transport, water, security, and power sectors.
He expressed the willingness of the State Government to partner with the Port Harcourt Chapter of the Institute of Quantity Surveyors on the issues of costing, management, monitoring and timely delivery of public projects, and lauded the Institute for choosing Port Harcourt for the Workshop/Annual General Meeting.
In his goodwill message, Elder Statesman, Chief Ferdinand Anabraba stressed the need for the Institute to ensure the rotation of its Workshops/Seminars as a platform to sensitize the Local Chapters on new trends in the Quantity Surveying Profession.
Chief Anabraba disclosed that professionals are well recognised in Rives State and that the State Government is serious about it and commended the Institute for holding the Workshop and Annual General Meeting in Port Harcourt which he described as a “Comfort Zone”.
Earlier in her address, the President of the Institute, Mrs. Mercy Iyortyer said the Institute has been watching with keen interest, the giant strides of the Wike-led administration in critical sectors such as roads, bridges, security, education, housing, power and health emphasizing that the State has earned itself the recognition of “destination for investment” due to its rich natural resources endowment and conducive environment for business to thrive.
Mrs. Iyortyer said that the Workshop would provide a platform for addressing key issues in Building Information Modeling with a view to preparing Quantity Surveyors and other professionals to respond to emerging changes in the practice and delivery of their professional services.
By Marc Philips
