The Association of Public Procurement Practitioners of Nigeria (APPON), has issued a strong warning to the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSM), following what it calls unwarranted public statements against the revered professional body.
In a terse press statement issued this morning and signed by its Director, Media & Publicity, Comrade Ralph Ogunsanya, APPON is demanding an immediate public apology from CIPSM as well as a retraction of the said vexatious unwarranted public statements.
Read the full press statement made available to The Frontier below (unedited):
ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC PROCUREMENT PRACTITIONERS OF NIGERIA (APPON)
PRESS RELEASE
REJOINDER FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC PROCUREMENT PRACTITIONERS OF NIGERIA (APPON)
The attention of the Association of Public Procurement Practitioners of Nigeria (APPON) has been drawn to the recent unwarranted public statements credited to the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSM), where CIPSM mischaracterized APPON and its activities.
To this end, APPON wishes to respond as follows:
1. CIPSM’s claim that it was compelled to respond to the notice of meeting announcement by a Chapter of APPON was unfounded. APPON neither sought recognition from nor mention CIPSM in any public communication. APPON has never been associated with CIPSM’s name or goodwill. The record must be set straight that, the Association of Public Procurement Practitioners of Nigeria (APPON), is duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission with RC Number 159973, an umbrella body of Public Procurement Practitioners working in all tiers of Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It was formed to unite Public Procurement Practitioners to advocate and promote ethical values and professionalism in practices of Public Procurement Profession in Nigeria. The Bureau of Public Procurement is the Government Regulatory Agency for Public Procurement in Nigeria and graciously expressed no objection to the establishment of APPON as the Professional Association for Public Procurement Practitioners in Nigeria. The Association provides professional capacity-boosting tools for its members who are mainly Public Procurement Practitioners within the public sector, to enable them to develop requisite professional skills for efficient value-added service delivery to fulfill their mandate more effectively, thereby making significant contribution towards the progress of established, transparent procurement system and sustainable development of the economy.
2. It must be emphasized that, CIPSM and APPON are separate and distinct entities. While CIPSM is established by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management (Establishment) Act, 2007, APPON is an Association made up of procurement professionals in the public service in Nigeria. Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) bearing Sections 38, 39, 40 and 42 deals with the fundamental rights of citizens. In particular Section 39 provides for freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinion and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference. Section 39 of the said Constitution provides: “(1) Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and import ideas and information without interference.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) of this
section every person shall be entitled to own, establish and operate any medium for the dissemination of information, ideas
and opinions.
Section 40 of the Constitution of the FRN provides further:
Section 40. Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons, and in particular he may form or belong to a political party, trade union or any other association for the protection of his interest.”
By Section 39 of the Constitution referred above, APPON and its members are entitled to freedom of expression including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information amongst themselves without interference. Also, by Section 40 of the same Constitution, APPON members are entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons, and in particular to form or belong to a trade union or any other Association for the protection of their interests.”
The law establishing CIPSM does not invalidate the above stated rights or existence of APPON under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
3. CIPSM’s assertion that only it can train procurement practitioners and only its members may practice public procurement in Nigeria is incorrect and misleading. Section 5 (k) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 also expressly gives the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) the power to organize trainings and development programmes for procurement professionals. Specifically, Circular Ref. No. 59780/S.1/117 dated 14th June, 2017 issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation mandated the Bureau of Public Procurement to train procurement officers and not the CIPSM in the following words: “MDAs without qualified Procurement Officers should as a matter of urgency, liaise with the BPP to conduct procurement training for staff handling procurement functions…” As a matter of fact, APPON as a professional Association has been working with the BPP closely in training and retraining its members. APPON condemns CIPSM’s use of unethical tactics, including misinformation and misrepresentation aimed at discrediting APPON and its law-abiding members, who are focused on uniting procurement professionals, fostering capacity development, and promoting best practices.
4. The claim by CIPSM’s Publicity Secretary in Rivers State that APPON’s membership practices violate CIPSM’s legislation is baseless, ill-motivated, and reckless, posing a risk to public peace.
5. The premature public statement by Mr. Tola Ogunlana, CIPSM Publicity Secretary in Rivers State, was a deliberate attempt to disrupt an APPON meeting in the state, contrary to the freedom of association of the members of APPON as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is an act that is unacceptable and could lead to further disorder if unchecked.
6. The claim that the public procurement profession is synonymous with purchasing and supply management reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of professional practice. Public procurement is defined by Section 60 of the Public Procurement Act to mean, “Acquisition by any means of goods, works, contracts and services.”
From this definition, it is clear that, that public procurement practice is not the same as purchasing and supply managements as claimed by the CIPSM.
7. CIPSM’s demand for recognition as the statutory regulator of Procurement in Nigeria has no legal basis. The regulatory body for public procurement in Nigeria is the Bureau of Public Procurement. CIPSM is just an institute and not a regulator of procurement practice in Nigeria. It did not contribute to the Public Procurement Act (PPA 2007) nor to the establishment of the Bureau of Public Procurement, the legally empowered regulator under Nigerian law.
8. The CIPSM reference to Section 11 (9) of the Chartered Institute of Procurement Management (Establishment) Act, 2007 is quoted out of context and it is aimed at misleading members of the public. The Section quoted verbatim is that: “A person shall not be entitled to be appointed or engaged to head any purchasing and supply chain management of any organization unless he is duly registered a member of the institute qualified by examination.
“A look at the above provision simply deals with the entitlement to be egaged or appointed as a head of purchasing and supply chain management and right to practice as a procurement professional or practitioner. A public procurement professional by no stretch of magination is synonymous with head of purchasing and supply chain management as claimed by the CIPSM. Ironically, many of the members of the APPON are also members of the CIPSM, so there is no conflict of roles. APPON are just Nigerians in public service in the
procurement department exercising their freedom of Association and nothing more.
Also sadly, Section 16 (2) of the Chartered Institute of Procurement
Management (Establishment) Act, 2007 referred to in the jingle made by CIPSM is mischievous. The Section provides as follows:
“If, on or after the commencement of this Act, a person who is not a member of the institute practices or holds himself out as a member in expectation of a reward or takes or uses any name, title, addition or description implying that he is a member, he is guilty of an offence.”
In the present case, APPON did not in any way practice or hold itself out as a member of the institute, or used any name, title, addition or description that it is a member of CIPSM, so reference to Section 16(2) of the Chartered Institute of Procurement Management (Establishment) Act, 2007, is misplaced and of no use. APPON has responded with professionalism and restraint to CIPSM’s unfounded, allegations, remaining focused on advancing capacity building, ethical standards, transparency, and professionalism in public procurement.
9. APPON members are practitioners, trained and certified by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and recognized state agencies. APPON operates strictly within the constitutional and legal framework of Nigeria, including the Public Procurement Act and relevant regulatory guidelines.
10. No Nigerian law grants CIPSM any regulatory authority beyond overseeing its own members.
DEMANDS:
1. Immediate retraction of all misleading public statements issued by CIPSM against APPON.
2. A formal public apology via the same media outlets where the false claims were published.
3. A handwritten letter of apology, including a commitment to refrain from further actions likely to disrupt public peace.
Note that, failure to comply with the above demands will compel APPON to initiate appropriate legal action, including claims for defamation and damages.
Signed:
COM. RALPH OGUNSANYA, FCPP, CNA, MInstLM
Director, Media & Publicity
6th September, 2025
