REVEALED: Why Estate Surveyors should partner EFCC on public asset declaration bill — Okim

The Deputy Zonal Commander of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Effa Okim, has advocated that the Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, NIESV, should partner with the government and other relevant stakeholders, including the EFCC to sponsor a bill in the National Assembly that will ensure that all public servants and politicians, who have the statutory obligations to declare their Assets at approved intervals, should do so, by affixing Valuation Reports by Professional Estate Surveyors and Valuers.

Okim, who is a certified fraud examiner and renowned Estate Survey Valuer, ESV, made the advocacy in his goodwill message on behalf of the EFCC Acting Executive Chairman and Director,
Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering, SCUML during the Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers NIESV 53rd Annual Conference in Illorin. Kwara State.

The theme of the conference was, “Asset Valuation as a global anti-corruption tool. The Nigerian experience.”

Mr Okim said ascertaining the real market value of the movable and immovable assets of public servants and politicians and not a mere assumption of value as it is the case now will ensure accuracy, while the same should apply to auctioneering, property Taxation, and procurement among others.

He further said that it will also be a huge revenue generation source for the government, expand the market for Valuers, ensure an accurate Property values database and be a veritable tool to fight money laundering in the real estate sector.

Okim, who is a duly registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer, a Project Management Professional, amongst others has written several articles which include, EFCC: its impact in the real estate sector, Short- Let Rentals: a growing trend in the real estate sector and Asset Valuation: a veritable and useful global tool for the investigation of economic and financial crimes.