INCORPORATING OUTDOOR ADVERTISING BILLBOARD VALUATION INTO ESTATE MANAGEMENT CURRICULUM IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

A general overview of the curricula of educational institutions of higher learning in Nigeria suggests that billboard valuation is not included. This lack of billboard valuation education partly accounts for the intrusion of other professionals, who are not trained at all in property appraisal, into the valuation of billboards for outdoor advertising companies who desire valuation for different purposes. This paper seeks to advocate for the inclusion of the subject of billboard valuation in the curricula of universities offering Estate Surveying and Valuation in Nigeria so as to widen the latitude of choice of courses among the students and enhance professional specialisation in the near future. Secondary sources of data was resorted to through a review of National Universities Commission's (NUC) and Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers' (NIESV) curricula for selected universities in Nigeria. Literature relating to billboard valuation was also explored to unveil their unique characteristics and valuation challenges that justify the clamour for inclusion of the subject in the curricula. It was discovered that despite the commonplace presence of billboards along thoroughfares in Nigeria, their intrinsic value and special features that make their valuation unique, billboard valuation is not taught in Nigerian universities. Incorporating this subject in the curricula will satisfy the interest of a new block of students in the short run, and create opportunity for specialisation, improve the quality of valuation service to stakeholders in the outdoor advertising business and provide additional source of income and employment to Estate Surveyors and Valuers in the long run.