NIQS President Calls for Collaboration to Build a More Efficient and Sustainable Built Environment

Mary Nnah

As the clock strikes the dawn of a new year, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), QS Dr. Aminu Muhammed Bashir, FNIQS, has issued a passionate call to action to stakeholders in the built environment sector.

In his New Year address, Dr. Bashir emphasised the critical role that Quantity Surveyors play in ensuring that projects are delivered with value for money, transparency, and accountability.

“Every school, road, hospital, home, and industrial facility benefits when cost is managed with integrity and expertise”, Bashir declared, highlighting the importance of effective cost management in the nation’s development projects.
He saluted the resilience, professionalism, and dedication of Quantity Surveyors, who remain critical to the success of projects across housing, infrastructure, energy, transportation, and industry.

The NIQS President outlined his leadership priorities for the 2025-2027 period, which include advocacy, capacity development, innovation, and collaboration. He pledged to strengthen the Institute’s engagement with government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), regulators, and corporate organizations to ensure that cost management expertise is fully integrated into public and private sector decision-making.

“We are investing in sector-specific training, equipping our members with advanced competencies in areas such as infrastructure, oil and gas, marine works, building services, sustainability, and digital cost management — ensuring that Nigerian Quantity Surveyors remain globally competitive and future-ready,” Dr. Bashir revealed. This, he said, would enable the Institute’s members to deliver projects that meet international standards and contribute to the nation’s economic growth.

Bashir also emphasised the importance of digitalization, improved governance, and strategic investments in revitalizing the Institute’s institutional systems. He highlighted the NIQS Cost Data Bank initiative, which aims to support better planning, budgeting, and delivery of capital projects across the country. This initiative, he said, would provide a valuable resource for stakeholders in the built environment sector, enabling them to make informed decisions and deliver projects efficiently.

The NIQS President extended an invitation to government agencies, corporate organizations, and development partners to partner with NIQS in shaping policies, delivering projects, training talent, and building systems that promote transparency, accountability, and value for money. “Effective cost management is not an optional extra — it is a strategic necessity,” Dr. Bashir emphasized, adding that the Institute remains committed to professional excellence, ethical practice, inter-generational knowledge transfer, and national service.

Bashir expressed his gratitude to the Institute’s sponsors and collaborators, acknowledging their support in strengthening not just an institution, but an entire professional ecosystem that contributes directly to economic stability, investor confidence, and national development.

As the nation embarks on a new year, Bashir wishes Nigerians a prosperous, fulfilling, and impactful year, praying that it will be a year of sound decisions, responsible investments, and sustainable growth. “Together, through collaboration and shared purpose, we can deliver projects that truly serve society,” he said, concluding his address.

“God bless you. God bless the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors. And God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he concluded, expressing his optimism for a brighter future for the nation’s-built environment sector.