From Atiku Sarki, Abuja
The Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN) has expressed its readiness to deliver the human capital development element of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda
Registrar/Chief Executive of CIPMN, Mr Henry Ifeanyi Mbadiwe, who made this known during an interview in Abuja, said the Institute is already playing a key role in enhancing the human capital component of the Renewed Hope Agenda by expanding knowledge and skills.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda is not something you can deliver in one year, that is just the truth. Human capital development is one of the key drivers of this administration.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made it very clear that it is not just about subsidies or about handouts. He has made it very clear that this is a very difficult time. CCIPMN’srole is simple, to take that human capital development element of the renewed hope agenda and push it to the other elements that can be handed to other people,” he said.
He said the Institute is also taking steps to work with various organisations like the Bureau of Public Procurement to ensure that contracts are only delivered in Nigeria by licenced project managers.
“CIPMN can ensure every project in this country is handled by a licensed project manager, and all mMDAswill put planning, risk management and chain management in the centre of all of its activities in this country.
” If you do that, you will stop seeing abandoned projects in Nigeria. It is as simple as that. It is human capital, the skill sets of an individual,” he said.
Mbadiwe expressed concerns that projects within Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are being managed by directors without the necessary project management qualifications, which contributes to inefficiencies
“Everybody who is managing a project in Nigeria, everybody who is leading a project in Nigeria, the (CIPMN) Act says you must be licensed by CIPMN for you to manage the project. You cannot manage a project in Nigeria if you are not licensed by this institute; everybody in any MDA or private sector who is leading a project in Nigeria and not licensed by CIPMN is in contravention of the Act establishing this institute, ” he said.
Mbadiwe added that the institute is prepared to enforce the provisions of the Act, with full implementation slated to begin next year.
“By 2024, we will start enforcing the law and holding organisations accountable. We will publicly call out agencies that fail to comply with the Act,” he warned.
On the institute’s achievements, Mbadiwe noted that CIPMN had developed a Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standard (CCMAS) for project management in Nigerian universities, adding that the institute has also launched a skills development programme for artisans through the Industrial Training Fund’s (ITF) SUPA program.
“For the first time, artisans are being taught project planning, risk management, and stakeholder management. This elevates their work quality, which in turn contributes to GDP growth,” he remarked.
Addressing past controversies surrounding the institute, Mbadiwe highlighted the legal dissolution of its former governing council and his reappointment as Registrar.
He criticized former president Victoria Okoronkwo and vice president Jamilu Yakwashi for continuing to claim leadership roles, despite a court ruling certifying their removal.
“The only legitimate CIPMN today is the result of the President’s actions in 2022, which dissolved the self-appointed council and appointed a sole administrator to bring in a new leadership,” he clarified.
