The Chartered Institute of Project Managers in Nigeria (CIPMN) seeks the collaboration of the National Universities Commission (NUC) to strengthen project management in tertiary institutions.
The President and Chairman, Governing Council of the institute, Dr Victoria Okoronwo, said this during a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, in Abuja on Wednesday.
Okoronkwo said that the visit was to enable Nigerians do the right thing in terms of projects in the country.
She said that most projects were abandoned because of the substandard materials used in the course of executing a project while some projects were not completed as a result of project fund embezzlement.
“ Project management cuts across all disciplines in tertiary institutions and capable hands are needed to handle most of these projects so that the budget for the projects will not be in vain.
“ Project management includes taking care of any project in the country including project practitioners who are capable of delivering projects.
“Nobody will like to take responsibility for any project that has collapsed or been abandoned, hence everyone will take glory of what is good and leave out what is not good that needs to be good,” she said.
She called on those who claimed to be a project engineers but not yet registered members of any association to, as a matter of urgency, do what was necessary.
She added that whoever was caught in any act of collecting contracts from anybody and the project collapses and subsequently discovered that he or she was not a registered member would be severely punished.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, said that so many of the acts from the National Assembly was a disregard to CIPMN as a professional body.
Rasheed said that some persons went to school and obtained a degree without being a full registered member in any association.
He said the commission would do everything possible to collaborate with CIPMN.
“CIPMN holds the responsibility of sensitising other key government agencies, the Ministry of Works and Housing about their mission on project executions.
“NUC is saddled with the main objective to regulate academic frameworks in all universities.
“As at today, the total universities are about 219, of which 111 are private universities. Project engineers in any institute should, therefore, endeavour to train themselves more since no knowledge is a waste,” he said.
An Architect from the institute, Mr Chris Ogbonaya, said that CIPMN was responsible as the only body to regulate project management act in Nigeria and also accredit schools that run project management. (NAN)