Abuja – Mr Suleiman Hassan, the Registrar, Surveyor
Council of Nigeria (SUCON), says that the council has put in place
measures to deal with quacks in the sector.
Hassan told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview on Tuesday
in Abuja, that the council had taken steps to punish offenders
according to the gravity of their offences.
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“We all have the mechanism for dealing with people that are quacks
practicing unethically, if he is registered personnel and is
practicing unethically there are measures that we have in line to
punish him.
“If he is not a professional also, there are some other measures to take.
“The gravity of your offence determines what measure will apply to
you as deterrent; the maximum is to remove your name from our
register; that is you have been barred from practicing as a surveyor.
“That is the maximum and that can also come after removal, you can be
charged to court for some other offence it all depend on the magnitude
of the offence you commit.
“Sometime, we suspend you from practice for a period; six months, one
year, two years; sometime we suspend you for maybe 30 days.
“These are the kind of measures that we take.’’
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He said that offenders, who were not surveyors, were treated as civil case
and handed over to the police for prosecution.
Hassan said that the council also set up State Committee on Ethics
(SSCE) in all the states of the federation and the FCT.
According to him, the mandate of the committee is to monitor the
conduct and practice of members.
He said that membership of the committee comprised of the Surveyor
General of the state, Chairman of the Nigeria Institute of Surveyor
and a representative who must be member of the council.
According to him, quackery thrives in the country with connivance of
registered surveyors.
He explained that no quack could do a survey plan and tender it as a
document except it was endorsed by a registered surveyor.
“Any plan that is not signed by a registered surveyor is not a plan
and cannot be tendered anywhere as a legal document,’’ he said.
The registrar said that the council had also taken steps to publish
the names of eligible members once in a year.
He called on Nigerians to stop patronising quacks, adding that they
could cause more harm than good that could lead to the loss of life
and property. (NAN)
