Registrar-General of the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN), Henry Mbadiwe, has assured newly inducted members of the institute that all certificates and licenses issued by CIPMN are easily verifiable digitally.

Mbadiwe, who gave the assurance on Thursday in Abuja after an induction session of new members, disclosed that the institute already has an existing understanding with the Data Protection Commission to ensure that members’ data is safe and does not breach any law in the country.

The Registrar-General further revealed that the institute has transitioned from a paper-based registration system to online registration for intending project managers in the country, emphasising that project management is a key tool for sustainable development.

He said, “CIPMN has just developed an online system for member registration. We no longer take paper registrations. Every registration on CIPMN must go through the portal, as everything is now fully digital.

“We have had conversations with the data protection commission in the sense that any document that is to be verified does not breach any data protection laws. So what we have just done here today is to ensure that every certificate issued by CIPMN can be easily verifiable.

“Every license issued by CIPMN is easily verifiable. Once a licensed project manager presents their license to you, you can verify it on the spot. The security features allow you to check if the member is valid. There is a very unique feature that makes it easy for all our certificates and licenses to be verified, and they cannot be compromised.

“Once you want to verify a certificate, you scan that certificate on your phone, using the QR code, it will search our database, and if your details are in the database, it will return the search information. So it is almost impossible to hack that system.”

According to Mbadiwe, CIPMN has issued notices to Project Management Institutes (PMI) in the country that are yet to register their members and will soon commence a clampdown on defaulters.

“If they refuse to comply, we are going to be taking legal action against them. We will be closing down sites and sealing off premises. We are going to be getting court orders to stop people from doing work, because that is just the law.

“The law is very clear: you need to be licensed. What this law has done is that just the same way, you cannot practice medicine in Nigeria if the medical board in Nigeria does not license you. You cannot practice law in Nigeria if you are not licensed to do so. Even if you hold a degree from Harvard, you must be licensed in Nigeria to practice law.

“No matter where you get a certificate from, even if you have a PMI certificate, you must get licensed in Nigeria to practice project management,” he said.

Also speaking, the President and Chairman of the CIPMN Council, Emmanuel Afolayan, stressed that the institute has reached a tipping point in its advocacy and is now focusing on compliance.

“We are moving into what it takes for the sustainability of projects, and even ensuring the outcome of our project. We have spent years building awareness. Now is the time for enforcement.

“We have set up a committee that will begin compliance checks across institutions, starting subtly, because change can be resisted, but we’re committed to seeing it through. For now, we will implement it subtly, as we can’t introduce a change overnight, particularly in an environment where change is resisted. But I can assure that everyone is together in this success story,” he stated.