CIPMN warns Nigeria of costly project waste as abandoned projects drain public finances and hinder national development planning.

The Registrar-General of the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria, Henry Mbadiwe, on Tuesday in Abuja warned that rising costly project waste is undermining public finances and threatening national development.

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Mbadiwe spoke at the CIPMN 2025 Annual Conference and Sixth Induction Ceremony, themed “Regulating Project Management In Nigeria: Policy Dialogue.”

Mbadiwe cited a World Bank report estimating that four billion dollars is lost globally each year on corrective works for newly completed projects.

He described the figure as “ridiculous and unacceptable,” attributing the waste to weak regulation and the use of unlicensed personnel in project execution.

He said the warning comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with an estimated seventeen trillion naira worth of abandoned projects, highlighting the urgent need for professional oversight.

“The project management profession is still growing in Nigeria. You cannot manage or lead any project without a CIPMN licence,” Mbadiwe said.

“The law now criminalises the management of any project without a valid licence. Enforcement teams will ensure compliance within the next three months.”

Recent project failures illustrate the problem.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria plans reconstruction at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, a few years after prior rehabilitation works.

The Federal Executive Council approved over nine hundred billion naira in August for aviation projects, including Terminal One’s refurbishment.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, defended the spending as vital to replace ageing infrastructure and meet global standards.

Delivering a paper at the event, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Onwusoro Maduka, called standardised project management a “national governance necessity.”

He said poor coordination across federal, state, and local levels, project delays, duplication, and political interference all contribute to systemic inefficiencies.

Maduka urged the adoption of a National Project Management Framework with mandatory licensing, annual recertification, state and local training, digital reporting tools, and compliance audits.

He maintained that uniform regulation would reduce leakages, curb arbitrary costs, improve transparency, and foster inter-governmental collaboration.

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Mbadiwe and Maduka emphasised that without strong regulation and enforcement, Nigeria risks further losses from costly project waste, undermining public trust in development initiatives.