Surveyors appeal to public to help flush out quacks

Accra, June 30, GNA - The Ghana Institution of Surveyors on Wednesday reiterated their call on the public to help flush out the quacks in the profession.

Mr Charles Sagoe, President of the Surveyors, expressing his disgust at the situation, said the number of land cases pending at the courts could be partly blamed on the quality of surveys and on Surveyors.

He said some of the practitioners though have had training from universities and institutions that trained Surveyors, "they do not have the requisite two year professional training to enable them to practice efficiently.

"Unfortunately the public appears to prefer dealing with such people because they charged less fees"; he said adding that it was for such reasons that the Institution was calling for the establishment of Surveyors Council that would streamline the activities of all Surveyors.

"The Institution is just like an association and individuals can choose to belong or not to belong to it," he said.

"As a Professional Institution we have a strict code of ethics which tells how Surveyors should conduct themselves in dealing with the public, with clients and employers and with other fellow Surveyors.

"Quack Surveyors are unaware of this code of ethics because they are in fact not professionals and are not part of us. The public must avoid them as much as possible to bring sanity in the system." The Institution called on the Government to amend Section 267 of the Constitution to include family lands, because most stool lands were gradually being turned into family lands because family lands fell outside the purview of the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands. Mr Sagoe said this practice if not checked could result in landlessness of some families.

Section 267 states: "All Stool/Skin lands in Ghana shall be vested in the appropriate stool on behalf of and in trust for the subjects of the stool in accordance with customary law and usage."

Touching on the Government's acquisition of lands for state agencies, which had over the years resulted in the payment of huge sums for compensation and problems such as encroachment of the remaining unused lands, Mr Sagoe urged the Government to ensure that it acquired just enough land it needed.

Mr Andrew Kojo Asamoah, a member of GIS, on behalf of Ben Dwimoh and Co later presented a computer with its accessories valued at 15 million cedis to the GIS for use at its national office. 30 June 04