The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria has inducted more than 1,500 new members as it reaffirmed its position as the country’s statutory regulator for human resource management practice.
The institute inducted 1,573 professionals during its 70th induction ceremony held recently in Lagos, describing the milestone as a reflection of its growing influence in shaping workplace standards and professional leadership in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, the President and Chairman of the Governing Council of CIPM, Mallam Ahmed Gobir, said the institute remains the only body legally empowered to regulate human resource practice in Nigeria.
“The CIPM remains the only regulatory body chartered by an Act of Parliament to regulate the practice of human resource management in Nigeria,” he said. “That is authority. That is credibility. And that is a legacy carved into the professional history of this nation.”
Gobir warned that individuals practising human resource management without CIPM certification were operating outside the statutory provisions guiding the profession.
He described the induction ceremony as a landmark moment in the institute’s history, noting that the organisation had spent decades building professional standards through consistency and institutional development.
“Today is not just another induction ceremony,” he said. “Today is history speaking loudly to the future.”
According to the institute, 65 professionals were admitted through the Executive Route, 420 through the HR Practitioners’ Route, while 1,088 members joined through the Examination Route.
Gobir said the institute had helped reposition human resource management from a largely administrative function into a strategic leadership role within organisations.
He also highlighted the institute’s international partnerships with the UK-based Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Canada’s Chartered Professionals in Human Resources, saying the collaborations had enhanced the global recognition of Nigerian HR professionals.
“Our certificates are global passports,” he said.
The event also focused on the changing nature of the workforce and the role of HR professionals in managing increasingly multigenerational organisations.
Delivering the keynote address, HR professional Segun Omotosho spoke on strategies for engaging and empowering workers across different age groups, stressing the need for inclusive workplaces that encourage collaboration and diversity.
He said employee engagement had become critical to organisational productivity and long-term performance, adding that companies must create environments where workers feel valued and motivated.
The ceremony featured awards for academic excellence, with outstanding graduating students receiving cash prizes and sponsorship to attend the institute’s 58th International Conference and Exhibition scheduled for September in Abuja.
Gobir urged the newly inducted members to uphold professionalism and ethical conduct in their careers.
“Work with competence, but work with character,” he said.
The event attracted HR practitioners, business executives, and corporate leaders from across the country as the institute marked seven decades of advancing human resource management practice in Nigeria.