By Victoria Ojeme

The Chartered Institute of Project Management of Nigeria (CIPMN) has vowed to crack down on unqualified “quacks” masquerading as project managers, blaming them for the nation’s rampant project failures.

“Enough of quarks parading themselves as project managers!” declared CIPMN President Prince Akinola Babalola. “Projects fail because some guys just wake up in the morning because they managed one of the projects… like the speaker said, ‘because they have done mason work or carpenter or they are builders they just assume the role of a project manager and they feel they can handle different professional fields… no!”

Babalola emphasized the importance of qualified professionals and capacity building, stating that the institute follows principles strictly to enable them to deliver on any project that they are undertaking.

“There are certain principles that need to be followed in the latter. Project management is a detailed profession, we follow principles strictly to enable us to deliver on any project that we undertake,” he said.

Echoing this sentiment, CIPMN Registrar Henry Ifeanyi Mbadiwe announced the induction of 400 new members, marking a significant step towards mandatory licensing.

“CIBMN’s job is to ensure that you can’t deliver projects in Nigeria unless you are a member of the institute,” Mbadiwe declared. “This is the law! These individuals will work with you on your projects and help build Nigeria. We are going to be seeing fewer abandoned projects, more accountability, and projects monitored for successful delivery.”

CIPMN’s commitment to enforcement is clear. Mbadiwe stated, “Our act enables us to enforce this law. We will withdraw the license from erring practitioners and stop individuals who do not have licenses from practicing project management activities in Nigeria.”

“Going on in 2024, CIBMN is going to focus and ensure that we get these people licensed. We are giving people time to go to our website and register,” he said.

However, the institute also emphasizes a collaborative approach, urging unlicensed individuals to come forward for training and licensing. “We don’t want to be chasing people now,” Mbadiwe said. “We are calling on people now to come and get trained, licensed and be a professional project manager.”