A SHORT HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ESTATE MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA
Estate Management has a long tortuous and very successful history here in the University of Nigeria.
Initially, sub-professional courses leading to the first and intermediate examinations of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, U.K. were established at the then Enugu Branch of the College of Arts, Science and Technology late in 1957.
Following the 1960 Ashby Commission’s recommendation, the College including the Department of Estate Management was absorbed by the University of Nigeria in 1961 as its Enugu Campus.
In 1962, J.A. Umeh was recruited by the Inter-university Council of U.K. for the University of Nigeria. He subsequently joined the academic staff of the Department and prepared a holistic B.Sc. degree programme in Estate Management as a pioneer degree awarding department of Estate management in Nigeria. In September 1963, 23 foundation students were admitted to the degree programme and the department graduated her first products in June 1967.
Except for the short interregnum during the Nigerian Civil War, the Department has continued admissions and graduations of students since then. In 1980, the Department became the first in Nigeria to mount an M.Sc., postgraduate programme in Estate Management. Subsequently, in 1983 the PhD programme was established with J.U. Ogbuefi as the pioneer product of both the M.Sc. and PhD programmes. Since then, the PhD Department has graduated top professionals and scholars lecturing in many other Departments of Estate Management in various Universities in Nigeria and in other countries.
The Department has remained a reference point for the training of high quality manpower in the field of Estate Management in Nigeria and has at various times established linkage programmes with such Universities as University of Cambridge in England and University of Strathslyde in Scotland.
Products of the Department who have helped in nurturing other sister Departments in various Universities in Nigeria include: Prof. J.I. Ighalo, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Dr. Mrs. M.N. Omirin, University of Lagos, Akoka, Dr. C.C. Egolum, Nnamd Azikiwe University, Awka, Dr. I.U. Kalu, Abia State University, Uturu.
The Department has been headed at various times by distinguished academics including Prof. J.A. Umeh, Mr. A. T. Tinkler, K.E.O. Iloabuchi, B.U. Ifediora, M.H. Ozumba, Dr. J.U. Ogbuefi and Dr. G.O. Udo.
- MISSION STATEMENT
The department of Estate Management is committed to the training of university graduates in Estate Management, with high academic and moral standard to satisfy the manpower needs of both the private and public sectors of the economy.
To achieve this objective, the curriculum is reviewed and updated regularly in response to changes in the socio-political, economic and technological environment.
- AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aim of the programme is to equip the graduates with institutional, analytical and management tools necessary for the conservative and sustainable development of our land and land resources. The specific objectives include:
- To instil in students an appreciation of the complex nature of the relationship between man and his environment.
- To prepare students academically for professional practice in land management, land use planning and land development, land reform, and settlement, real estate taxation and rating valuation, aspects of town and country planning, valuation, investment/development schemes and feasibility/viability appraisals.
- To create an appreciation of the importance of estate surveying and valuation in an industrial, environmental, economic and social context,
- To lay a foundation on which students can proceed to further studies in specialized aspects of estate surveying and valuation.
- To develop the students in the use of information technology in the effective management of land and the environment.
