The Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria, CIPMN, has commenced enforcement of its licensing law, warning that individuals and organisations engaging unlicensed project managers could face sanctions, including imprisonment, under the law.
Registrar-General and Chief Executive Officer of CIPMN, Mr. Henry Mbadiwe, disclosed this at the Institute’s June 2026 induction ceremony, on Tuesday in Abuja, where about 350 new members were admitted into the profession.
Shortly after the opening ceremony, Mbadiwe said the Institute had concluded years of sensitisation and was now moving decisively into compliance monitoring and enforcement.
“In the last three years, we’ve been doing a lot of sensitisation. We have been on TV, on social media and at different events telling people about the need for project managers in Nigeria to be licensed. Now we’ve started our compliance and enforcement practices in Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, the CIPMN Act makes it mandatory for professionals leading or delivering projects in Nigeria to obtain certification and licences from the Institute.
“You cannot hire anyone in the public or private sector to lead or deliver any new initiative, that is, projects in Nigeria, if they are not licensed. There’s a two-year jail term stipulated in the Act for anyone delivering projects in Nigeria without a licence,” Mbadiwe stated.
He added that the sanctions extend beyond individual practitioners.
“Not only will those individuals be held accountable, but the organisation that employed them, whoever is heading the organisation or made the decision to hire those people, would also be liable,” he warned.
Mbadiwe said the enforcement drive was aimed at improving project outcomes and addressing the long-standing challenges of failed, abandoned and delayed projects across the country.
“It is time we begin to obey the law in this country. We are serious about enforcing it. The benefits of proper project delivery, licensing professionals, keeping track of their activities and upscaling project managers across Nigeria are very important,” he said.
The Registrar-General revealed that nearly 350 professionals were being inducted over a three-day exercise, the seventh induction programme since the Institute’s establishment.
“We are inducting close to 350 members today, well, in the next three days anyway. Some are joining as fellows and chartered members, while others are becoming licensed members,” he said.
Earlier in his address, Mbadiwe linked the high rate of abandoned and delayed projects in Nigeria to poor stakeholder management and weak project leadership.
Speaking on the theme, “Strategic Project Leadership in Complex Stakeholders’ Environment: Nigerian Context,” he noted that project managers must understand and navigate Nigeria’s unique socio-political and cultural realities.
“Managing projects in Nigeria means navigating a dense matrix of formal authorities and informal power structures. Failing to engage these diverse factions actively is a primary driver behind the country’s high rate of abandoned and delayed projects,” he said.
He stressed that project managers must move beyond conventional task management to become strategic leaders capable of building consensus, anticipating risks and aligning projects with local realities.
“In an era marked by increasing stakeholder complexity and heightened expectations for accountability, project leaders must possess not only technical expertise but also the strategic insight required to navigate diverse interests and deliver sustainable results,” he added.
Addressing the newly inducted members, Mbadiwe reminded them that professional certification comes with significant responsibilities.
“You are not just getting inducted and getting a certificate or a licence. You are taking on a responsibility— the responsibility to do it right. You are taking on a responsibility to be an advocate for proper project delivery. It’s a task that must be taken seriously,” he said.
Also speaking, Chairman of the CIPMN Governing Council, Chief Olabode Emmanuel Afolayan, said competence remained the most critical skill required of project management professionals.
“You need to be competent. The only way to be competent is to have the basic skills and apply those skills in everything you do. That is what will change the narrative and improve things generally,” Afolayan said.
He noted that adherence to professional standards would help organisations achieve greater efficiency while reducing unnecessary costs.
“The most important thing in life is for us to get things done right. When you do the right thing, you’ll be able to reduce costs without necessarily compromising basic standards. And when you are competent, there is efficiency, and the reward of efficiency is just the best,” he said.
