In a significant move toward strengthening Nigeria’s national planning architecture, the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday advanced a pivotal bill sponsored by Distinguished Senator Ede Dafinone (Delta Central), granting it successful passage through the Second Reading stage. The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Establish the Chartered Institute of Planning of Nigeria (CIPN),” seeks to formally recognise and empower an institute that has operated effectively for over two decades by conferring on it chartered status and statutory regulatory powers.
Leading the debate on the floor of the Senate, Senator Dafinone articulated the urgent national necessity for the proposed legislation. He explained that the Chartered Institute of Planning of Nigeria has, since its informal inception more than 22 years ago, played a critical role in promoting planning as a professional discipline. However, the absence of a legal charter has limited its authority to set binding standards, enforce ethical practice, and regulate the rapidly growing field of planning across economic, physical, environmental, social, corporate, and strategic domains.
“Nigeria has suffered for too long from a fragmented and weak planning framework,” Senator Dafinone told his colleagues. He cited decades of inconsistent government policies, poorly coordinated development initiatives, abandoned capital projects, and the perennial failure to effectively implement successive national development plans as evidence of systemic planning deficits. From the Vision 2010 to the Nigeria Vision 20:2020, and more recently the National Development Plan 2021–2025, the country has repeatedly formulated ambitious blueprints only to struggle with execution, largely due to the absence of a strong, unified professional body dedicated to planning.
The establishment of the Chartered Institute of Planning of Nigeria, the Senator argued, would finally provide the missing institutional pillar. Once chartered, the CIPN would be empowered to:
Develop and enforce national standards for planning education, training, and certification
Register and license professional planners across public and private sectors
Prescribe a binding code of ethics and professional conduct
Promote continuous professional development and research in planning
Facilitate coordination among federal, state, and local government planning agencies
Collaborate with international planning bodies to align Nigerian practice with global best standards
Crucially, Senator Dafinone emphasised that the proposed institute would operate as a fully self-sustaining professional body. Unlike many statutory agencies that depend heavily on budgetary allocations, the CIPN would fund its operations through membership dues, certification fees, training programmes, research grants, and strategic partnerships with development organisations and the private sector. “This bill imposes absolutely no financial burden on the Federal Government of Nigeria,” he assured the Senate, a point that resonated strongly with lawmakers mindful of the country’s fiscal constraints.
The Second Reading debate saw contributions from several senators who underscored the timeliness of the legislation. Many highlighted how uncoordinated urban and regional planning has fuelled uncontrolled urban sprawl, environmental degradation, traffic congestion, flooding, and the proliferation of slums in cities such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano. Others pointed to the economic losses arising from poorly planned infrastructure projects and the lack of synergy between federal and sub-national development agendas.
Senators also commended Senator Dafinone for the thorough consultative process that preceded the bill. Extensive stakeholder engagements were held with the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), the Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC), academia, state governments, and professional bodies to ensure the proposed institute complements rather than duplicates existing institutions. The bill clearly delineates roles, with CIPN focusing on broader multi-sectoral planning (economic planning, strategic planning, corporate planning, environmental planning, etc.) while harmonising with the more spatially oriented mandates of sister bodies.
With the successful Second Reading, the bill has now been referred to the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters for further legislative scrutiny, public hearing, and clause-by-clause consideration. The committee is expected to expedite its work given the widespread support the bill enjoys across party lines and geopolitical zones.
If eventually passed into law and signed by the President, the Chartered Institute of Planning of Nigeria will join the ranks of respected chartered professional bodies such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), and the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), further deepening Nigeria’s institutional framework for professional excellence.
For Senator Ede Dafinone, the advancement of the bill represents not just a legislative achievement but a personal commitment to nation-building. Known for his background in accounting and finance and his passionate advocacy for structured development in the Niger Delta and beyond, he sees the CIPN as an essential tool for transforming Nigeria from a country rich in plans but poor in implementation to one that meticulously plans, coordinates, and delivers sustainable development.
As the Senate continues its legislative work on this groundbreaking bill, observers believe its eventual enactment could mark a turning point in Nigeria’s quest for disciplined, evidence-based, and inclusive national planning — a long-overdue step toward realising the country’s enormous potential in the twenty-first century.
