Senate advances bill to establish chartered planning institute

A bill seeking to establish the Chartered Institute of Planning of Nigeria (CIPN) has passed second reading in the senate.

The bill, sponsored by Ede Dafinone, senator representing Delta central, seeks to make the institute a statutory body to regulate and standardise planning practice across the country.

Dafinone said the bill would introduce a unified national framework for economic, social, infrastructure, environmental, corporate and strategic planning.

He said Nigeria had suffered from policy inconsistency, abandoned projects and weak forecasting due to the absence of an institutionalised planning architecture.

The lawmaker noted that the proposed institute would professionalise planning through national standards for training, ethics, certification and continuous development.

The senator said CIPN would unify planning methodologies, build a skilled workforce and institutionalise planning as a core governance process.

He said the institute would formalise collaborations with bodies such as INEC, local governments and other institutions.

Ede said CIPN would work with the NUC and private sector organisations to align national planning with global best practices.

The legislator said strengthening planning capacity would reduce project failures, wasteful spending and policy reversals.

He said the bill would improve investor confidence through predictable, data-driven planning and would carry no financial burden on the federal government.

Most senators, except Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north, supported the bill to go for second reading.

“This bill is apt and germane especially looking against the background of policy somersaults that has hindered our developmental plans,” Tahir Monguno, senator representing Borno north said.

“The institute will train core professionals with planning bias and stamp out quackery in the practice of planning. And it will have no cost to government.”

Oshiomhole, however, insisted that the bill lacks merit.

“It does not merit spending the precious time of the senate on it. This law does not deserve second reading,” he said.

Joel Onowakpo, senator representing Delta south, said there are planning standards globally and Nigeria should not be left behind.

“This institute will provide the standard like every other institute in this country,” he said.

Orji Kalu, senator representing Abia north, said it will be “too premature to kill the bill” and urged that it should be sent to the committee for public hearing.

Simon Lalong, senator representing Plateau south, said the motion is timely because “we are in the age of technology”.

Lola Ashiru, senator representing Kwara south said “the most important thing in this new age of development is data”

Amos Yohanna, senator representing Adamawa north, said the CIPN is not just a planning commission, but a regulatory body that will manage the practice of the practitioners.

Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, put the bill to a voice vote and the ‘ayes’ had it.

“The bill is referred to the senate committee of planning and finance to report back within four weeks,” Barau said.