The founder of the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN) Dr (Mrs.) Victoria I. Okoronkwo has over the weekend sent a written letter to the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu lamenting and stressing the setback CIPMN is suffering in the hands of some corrupt staff of the mother ministry, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.
In a letter made available to newsmen in Abuja, FCT, at the weekend, Dr. Okoronkwo explained in detail how the corruption is negatively impacting on project developments in Nigeria.
The letter attributed the menace to “conspiracy by some predacious, avaricious CIPMN members and some corrupt FMITI management staff to truncate and hijack CIPMN which they have been trying to achieve by operating a parallel CIPMN office in the FMITI premises since January 2021 against the Act that established CIPMN and has been using CIPMN name to siphon funds from the Federal Government”. The letter noted that due to Mrs. Okoronkwo’s “passion she has for Project success in Nigeria, she first registered the Institute of Project Managers Ltd/Gte with the following trustees: Arc Godwin O. Okoronkwo, Elechi OJUKWU and Mrs Victoria I. Okoronkwo in the Corporate Affairs Commission between 2004-2007 when the Certificate of Incorporation was given to her.
“Also in 2013, she further single-handedly submitted the Draft Bill to the National Assembly which in 2017 was passed into law, with President Mohammadu Buhari assenting to it on January 24th, 2018, as CIPMN Act No 3, 2018, Gazetted No 15, Volume 105.
Since post-assent by the President, the Statutory CIPMN, having fulfilled the Affiliation to the Ministry of Commerce[FMITI] clauses [CIPMN Act sections 9, 20[1] and schedule 1 paragraph 5[4], without getting any financial assistance from any quarters has been able to make about thirty-seven achievements”.
The letter in full;
CIPMN is a good brand from birth, but some predatory, avaricious CIPMN members in collaboration with some corrupt Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment management staff conspired to truncate and hijack it since the year 2021 with the sole aim of making it a cash cow for their selected selves rather than develop Project Management in Nigeria.
This Conspiracy threw aside the establishment Act and operated surreptitiously, but with impunity, from January 2021 to June 2023 when they announced a parallel council – all in utter disregard of the CIPMN Act, the vision purpose of developing project management in Nigeria but to defraud the Federal Govt and possibly other agencies with the name of CIPMN while blocking/occluding off from visibility the statutory Council, Chairman/Founder and the President
This FMITI group has further split into two, a sub-faction with one Tunji Ariyomo flaunting a stillbirth repeal of the CIPMN Act while Henry Mbadiwe is said to be working with the new Minister to use an Executive order to amend the Act to suit Mbadiwe’s predacious lust to take over CIPMN by all means.
It should be noted that Mbadiwe had been suspended indefinitely by the Council and sacked by an FCT High Court judgment [CASE NO: SUIT NO CV/125/19] which he did not appeal against.
FMITI had also groomed a former Council member who used some two members to obtain an FCT High Court judgment now challenged in the Court of Appeal. the Court of Appeal. Such litigation is aimed at stifling the operations of CIPMN. This lawless Mbadiwe on 8/1/2024 published an arbitrary list of about 133 members in the Punch Newspaper as against the CIPMN’s over 700 members registered members.
But FMITI contrived to lure the registrar that replaced Mbadiwe to capitulate to them with CIPMN registers without resigning for some reward. Hajara Yusuf yielded to the temptation but it seems the internal tussle now has affected the promise. The conduct of FMITI has encouraged zero integrity among those who possess the vice.
Let it be noted that the CIPMN Act does not have provision for Govt funding, but Mbadiwe, as pioneer Registrar worked out with FMITI how to draw from federal Govt coffers: that became the genesis of a scramble to truncate and hijack CIPMN by the CONSPIRACY of predatory, avaricious CIPMN members and some corrupt FMITI management staff. Also, despite a subsistent Interlocutory Injunction [CASE NO; FHC/ABJ/CS253/2022] restraining FMITI and the band harboured by her from interfering in CIPMN matters and FCT High Court judgment that sacked Mbadiwe, he has been parading himself as CIPMN Registrar, this crime being promoted by FMITI with impunity.
As a result of the above activities of these hijackers working in collaboration with the FMITI, Dr (Mrs) Victoria I Okoronkwo is calling on the President, Bolamed Tinubu to intervene and investigate the activities of FMITI regarding CIPMN. to enable CIPMN to move forward as per the Act and purposed vision for project management in Nigeria.
If only FMITI had not been accomplices themselves, they would have investigated/verified allegations rather than sent surreptitious and mendacious memos to the SGF and Presidency to misguide them unpatriotically and in utter sabotage. If Mr. President investigates this matter it would be discovered that there has been no issue but avarice and predation aided by corruption in high places powered by misrepresented official impunity.
A petition had been submitted to the office of the Permanent Secretary, Dr Evelyn Ngige on 25/7/2023 before the new Hon. Minister assumed office with another to the new Minister herself on 29/9/2023 – but neither has been responded to by FMITI to date.
Finally, it may interest Mr. President BOLA AHMED to know that investigating this case would further encourage nationalism/patriotism zeal to appropriate persons and check predation, avarice, and anti-patriotism.
