At last week’s 12th Biennial Honours Night 2017 hosted by the Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Sureyors and Valuers held at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos, City People Magazine was honoured. And in his speech at that event, the Chairman of the Lagos branch, ESV Offiong Samuel Ukpong revealed why City People Magazine was adjudged The Best Media in Print.
“It is with exceeding great joy that I stand before you today to deliver this address. 2 years ago I was the Chairman of the Head of practice/planning committee for the same event. God has given me the grace to serve our great Branch as the Chairman of The Very Branch.
Why Honours’ Night? It is a statement of gratitude. It is a statement of Appreciation. It is an acknowledgement and recognition that our profession in Lagos State does not take for granted all the efforts and contributions of those who have impacted positively on the growth and progress of our Profession, our Institution and the Real Estate Industry in the Centre of Excellence (Lagos State) and Nigeria.
Above all, it is a form of saying thank you for being there for us even when we might not have requested for your love and attention.
I often tell people that the little things we do to one another really count and could go beyond the impact we may have actually intended, be them positive or otherwise. Today, we are here gathered to honour, celebrate, appreciate, pay accolade and gratitude to those who have by one way or the other shown or made great contributions to the successes we have achieved.
As you are aware, our very distinguished quest, the main programme for this outgoing regime has been Advocacy! Advocacy! ! Advocacy! ! ! And we have partnered with the electronic and print media. It is
therefore not a co-incident that the Guest Speaker today is a veteran Media Practitioner Madam Tourism, Mrs. Omotola Omotosho MFR.
The Special Guest of Honour, Mr. Bode Agoro who heads the Lands Bureau in Lagos State is a special friend of the profession. He loves the profession to the extent that he pays special attention to the details that concerns our colleagues in the bureau, He is at the Vanguard of Promoting the profession very soon, with him on the saddle, Valuation Certification of all Land transactions in Lagos State shall be possible. Trust me. Sir, we acknowledge and appreciate you.
Our profession has been using the print media mostly to reach out to the public, but we decided to use the
electronic media also and the response has been overwhelming. Our Radio Media Consultant Mr. Oke
Job Ejiroghene and one of the awardees in the Special Advocacy category guided us as to the radio stations of choice, their outreach, and impact, has been tremendous. The question would be, why give an
award to your consultant, when he was paid for the work?
The simple answer is the passion, the tenacity; the belief and the love exhibited by the consultant are
unparalled.
He seemed to have been more interested in the programme than even our colleagues who were to anchor it. On one ofthe occasions, the wife delivered a baby in the morning and by evening of the same day
he was at the studio waiting for us, what a wonderful Nigerian.
Another awardee in this category is Mr. Chico of classic FM 97.3. On the start of the campaign, yours
sincerely asked Chico if he knows about Estate Surveyors & Valuers and he said no. However, he anchored the programme. Midway into the campaign, some of our colleagues could not attend their slot and Chico who did not know about Estate Surveying and Valuation became an Estate Surveyor & Valuer that day.
He so dissected the topic that our colleagues who listened that day agreed that he did excellently and exceptionally well. So the advocacy campaign has one major convert who is a Veteran broadcaster of a very high repute.
In the Television category, we acknowledge and celebrate Property Matters for all the promotion and
everything they have done for the Real Estate Industry. The above mentioned awardees are in a class of Special Advocacy awardees.
Noble Colleagues and our very distinguished guests, if I ask you, which of the print media has the highest
penetration and reach, our awardee in the print media category may not be in your contemplation. But I wish to observe that I personally was surprised by the comment that came from the public about their reach including the Chairman of today’s occasion my loving Managing Director/CEO of Niger Insurance Plc.
My Managing Director Mr. D.K. Adedeji observed that this paper is always reporting about our activities. A friend of mine told me that her husband A judge of Lagos State High Court saw my comment on this paper and agreed with that opinion. This paper has a wide reach particularly with the High and mighty. Please join me in celebrating City People Magazine.
The method of selection of the Award Winners this year is very unique. Before now, the Head of Practice
Committee proposes the Awardees for Executive Committee of the Branch’s Consideration and confirmation. But this year, a large majority of our membership were involved in the nomination, selection and voting processes for the winner to emerge.
I therefore, on behalf of the Executive Committee and entire membership of this great Branch congratulate all the winners for so deserving of the awards. It means that all the contributions you have made for the growth and progress of the Profession of Estate Surveying and Valuation in Lagos State have not gone unnoticed.
Also acknowledged with immense appreciations are our colleagues who served in the various committees and to merit a certificate of recognition. Your participation would have been above average that is 50% and above.
