The Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN) has expressed commitment to curbing the rate of abandoned projects in the country.
The Registrar of CIPMN, Henry Mbadiwe, who said this in a media briefing on Monday in Abuja, noted that such a step would increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
According to Mbadiwe, the value of abandoned projects in Nigeria stands at over N17tn presently.
He listed causes of abandoned projects to include lack of articulated vision and objective, lack of proper project planning, and lack of proper budgetary allocation for the project.
“Others are inefficient legal systems, corruption and compromises, and weak institutions, leading to lack of continuity with changes in political administration. We cannot continue to press the reset button each time an administration changes.
“The CIPMN will move past administration changes and their limitations and begin to enforce our Establishment Act. The CIPMN register said that the institute would engage with all projects in Nigeria to ensure that professional project managers licensed by CIPMN were in charge.
“We will pursue any member practising project management in Nigeria without the CIPMN license, and every institution that encourages its staff members to ignore the law establishing CIPMN in Nigeria,”he said.
According to Mbadiwe, every organisation, whether local or international, operating in Nigeria that has individuals leading projects in Nigeria without the CIPMN license as required by law, will be sanctioned.
He expressed the institute’s commitment to maintaining the highest possible standards by ensuring that the regulation of the sector was done dispassionately without prejudice, and enjoined all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of Government to take this call seriously and ensure compliance with the law.
According to Mbadiwe, one of the challenges faced in Nigeria is not the absence of laws but the blatant disregard for these laws.
“While I may not have control over all sectors, I can assure you that in the project management sector, we are committed to upholding the law. We will ensure that all project managers are licensed and accountable for their actions,” he said.
Mbadiwe said that value addition and proper conclusion of projects will always lead to an increase in the country’s GDP, and called for more stakeholders’ collaboration with the institute in the interest of citizens and the country at large.