Chatered Institute of Directors bill scales second reading in Senate

A bill seeking to give legal backing to the establishment of the Chatered Institute of Directors of Nigeria scaled second reading during plenary on Tuesday.

The bill was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (APC, Kebbi North).

Abdullahi, while leading debate on the bill, said the Institute of Directors of Nigeria which was established 34 years ago in 1983, was incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), as a non-profit making public company limited by guarantee.

According to him, the Institute’s major objective is to among others things; provide professional training to Directors in the Public and Private Sectors to facilitate effective governance, public accountability and professional efficiency in administering the Public and Private Sectors in Nigeria.

The lawmaker, however, explained that in discharging this enormous role, the Institute needs to secure membership of Global Network of Directors Institute (GNDI), the umbrella body of Institute of Directors in the world with headquarters in Canada and European Federation of Directors.

“The Institute requires to be affiliated with these and other related international organisations with speciality or mandate in provision of capacity development services to Directors worldwide.

“The Institute is currently not a member of the two world most famous bodies in this sector on the ground that is not established by law in Nigeria to qualify as chartered and that is what this Bill seek to do to ensure that it is establish by law to enable it to affiliate with the world organizations in this sector.

“This failure has affected the development of the Institute despite its long functional existence. It has also limited its capacity to participate in international conferences, send its students on exchange of experience visits and a number of benefits that only Chartered Institutes of Directors enjoy.

“The Bill is proposed to make the Nigerian Institute of Directors a Chartered Institute to acquire all the recognitions, benefits and technical support needed to make it effective in provision of capacity development services for Directors in the Private and Public Sectors in Nigeria and the rest of the world”, Abdullahi said.

The lawmaker further explained that the Chartered Institute of Directors of Nigeria bill, when passed and signed into law, would serve as a Regulatory Body for Persons serving as Directors in both Public and Private Sectors.

He added that the body would also be tasked with determining the standards of knowledge and skills to be attained by persons seeking to become Directors; making provision for continuous training and development of the Directors; and ensuring professionalism and the promotion of corporate governance values.

Contributing to the debate, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Bashiru, underscored the need for the establishment of a body to regulate the activities of Directors in the public and private sector.

He emphasized that giving legal backing through the passage of the bill, besides ensuring viable management of corporate entities in Nigeria, would yield associated benefits from interface with recognized international organizations.

The bill after scaling second reading, was referred by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to the Committee on Establishment and Public Service for further legislative work.

The Committee which is Chaired by Senator Ibrahim Shekarau (APC, Kano Central) is expected to report back to the upper chamber in two weeks.