THEME: TOWARDS INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICE: THE EFFECTS OF
STANDARDIZATION.
DATE: 6TH
APRIL, 2016.
VENUE: ENVIRONMENTAL FACULTY AUDITORIUM.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF ESTATE MANAGEMENT
The idea to commence courses in
Estate Management was mooted in the third year of the establishment of the
university in 1965. The department, however, did not come into existence until
the 1982/83 academic session when it was established as an appendage of the
Department of Business Administration.
The creation of the Department was
necessitated by the need to bridge the gap in national manpower, which the
existing institutions offering Estate Management could not fill. Furthermore,
Lagos, being the then capital city of Nigeria, needed to have a local base to
boost the executive capacity required for the management of land and property
resources.
The pioneer Head of Department, by
virtue of its incidence, was Dr. J. O. Oni of the Department of Business
Administration. He was ably assisted by (the now late) Ben Acquaye, a renowned
Professor of Land Economy who was on his sabbatical leave from the University
of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
When the Department became
independent in 1983, Nze M. A. C. Odu, a seasoned Estate Surveyor and Valuer,
took over the headship. Together with Professor Acquaye., he tuned the academic
programmes of the Department in line with the standards set up by The Nigerian
Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) and the Estate Surveyors and Valuers
Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON), the affiliate body and local
equivalent of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) of
Britain.
When Nze Odu left to pursue further
professional commitments, Mrs. M. M. Omirin, a first class scholar, though then
a junior lecturer, acted as the coordinator of the program under the
supervision of Prof. Ben Acquaye who was yet to complete his sabbatical leave.
She acted in that capacity until (the now late) Mr. C. U. Onyedike, B.Sc. (Est.
Mgt.) (London), FNIVS, FRICS, was appointed to head the Department. Mr Onyedike
worked very hard to give the Department proper professional focus and to add
impetus to the drive for staff development. During this period, Mrs M. M.
Omirin proceeded to the University of Cambridge as a Commonwealth scholar just
as Mr. M. I. Okoroh another lecturer in the Department did to Heriot-Watt
University to pursue PhD research. They both completed their Doctoral research
successfully and Dr. (Mrs.) M. M. Omirin returned to the Department in 1992.
Mr. U.E. Opara took over as Head of
Department in 1991 following the demise of Mr. Onyedike and acted until Dr. J.
I. Ighalo, an accomplished Estate Surveyor and Valuer and scholar arrived on
sabbatical leave from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. At the
expiration of his leave term, the mantle of headship fell back on Mr. Opara. He
relinquished the leadership position to Dr. (Mrs.) M. M. Omirin thereafter. Dr.
Omirin gave the Department a new sense of direction and vigour towards academic
excellence. A curriculum for post-graduate courses (Masters and Doctorate
degrees) was developed and approved. While the M.Sc. program graduated
its first set of ten (10) in 2003/2004 and an additional fourteen (14) in 2004/2005
the enrolment figure for PhD research currently stands at seven.
Mr. T. G. Nubi who became the Head
of Department in August 2002 did not only consolidate the achievements of his
predecessors but also recorded giant strides at achieving a corporate image for
the Department. Under his headship, the Department commenced a part-time
program in Estate Management in 2002. This is currently at its 400 level. The
Department also organized an International Workshop on “Land Management and
Property Tax Reform in Nigeria” in July 2002 drawing participants from all over
the country. Another workshop was organized in July 2003 with a focus on
Private-Sector Driven Housing Delivery. This workshop, organized in conjunction
with the Real Estate Developers’ Association of Nigeria (REDAN) drew
participants and other eminent personalities from the industry and government.
Far-reaching reviews and recommendations on government policies emerged from
the discussions.
The Department, which enjoys full
accreditation by both the NUC and the ESVARBON, is rated as the best
Estate Management Department in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
4.0
ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT
In addition to the regular lectures
and tutorial sessions for the students of Estate Management and allied
Departments in the University, the Department runs several activities geared
towards advancement of knowledge in Estate Management and Land Economy. These
include:
(a)
Research Updates whereby regular
sessions are held to intimate the Department with developments in on-going
post-graduate research
(b)
Departmental Fora / ‘Town and Gown’
sessions during which research findings are disseminated for the advancement of
Estate Management Practice in Nigeria; and practitioners in the industry and
allied professions are invited to organize career-focused counseling for the
students.
(c)
Workshops and Seminars organized to
facilitate discussions and debates among participants within and outside the
industry including the government, on public policies bordering on land
management, housing and property investment finance, environmental issues etc.
Culled from the University of Lagos website Here
#RESUMMIT 2016
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