The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN) has insisted that the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has no legal backing to license procurement practitioners or professional bodies.
The President, CIPSMN, Sikiru Oladepo Balogun, in a statement on Wednesday, stated that the association observes with grave concern the recent press release issued by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), in which the Director-General, Dr. Adebowale A. Adedokun, announced plans by the Bureau to begin issuing practice licenses for procurement training in Nigeria.
Balogun stated that while CIPSMN commended ongoing efforts to reform and sanitise the public procurement space, it has strong reservations and firm objections to this proposal, which it considers ultra vires, legally unsound, and a direct violation of extant laws governing procurement practice in Nigeria.
“It is important to state, for public awareness and institutional clarity, that training and certification of procurement professionals in Nigeria is not within the statutory mandate of the BPP. The enabling law of the Bureau, the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007, particularly Part 2 Section 5(k), empowers the BPP to organise training and development programmes for procurement professionals.
“By implication, it is to promote training policies and programmes for procurement personnel of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs)—not to train or license practitioners or professional bodies. The intention of the law is clearly limited to building institutional capacity within government agencies, not regulating or licensing professional practice.
“Furthermore, the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria Act, 2007, enacted by the National Assembly, confers the exclusive statutory authority on CIPSMN to: Regulate and control the practice of the procurement and supply chain management profession in Nigeria; Set standards for qualification; Training, and Professional certification of practitioners; Maintain the register of qualified procurement professionals in Nigeria; and to Discipline erring members, in accordance with due process and the law.”
He added that Section 1(1) of the CIPSMN mandates the Institute to: determining and reviewing, from time to time, the academic standards, know ledge and skills that shall be attained by persons seeking to qualify as registered members of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management (in this Act referred to as “the Professional”)
“Ensure that that our members maintain a reputable and high standard of behaviour expected of any professional in PROCUREMENT in Nigeria and other parts of the world; Provide for the training, education and examination of persons desiring to become Professional Procurers (Procurement Professional) according to the Institute’s Act in Nigeria; Regulate the discipline and professional conduct of our members and Promoting and projecting the welfare of our members in Nigeria and abroad
“Furthermore, Section 11(8) of the CIPSMN Act 2007 states that the purchasing and supply professionals from abroad who reside in Nigeria and wish to practise shall, within 12 months after the commencement of this Act, seek registration with the Institute to become members.”
Balogun, therefore, maintained that any attempt by another agency or body—regardless of their relevance in public procurement administration—to assume this exclusive professional mandate amounts to an illegal encroachment, undermines the rule of law, and sets a dangerous precedent of institutional overreach.
“The Bureau’s plan to issue practice licenses for procurement trainers is not only legally flawed, but also misleading to the public and stakeholders, especially those unfamiliar with the legal delineation of roles in the Nigerian procurement ecosystem.
“We are compelled to caution the Bureau that any such issuance of licenses to train or certify procurement practitioners is null and void, and any entity operating under such unauthorised license may be subject to legal sanctions under the CIPSMN Act and other applicable laws. BPP is a regulatory body and not a body of knowledge like the CIPSMN and other institutions of higher learning in Nigeria.”
