Saving Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria from strictly Commercial Interests

  Saving 
 Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria 
                                    from strictly Commercial Interests By
Returning the Institute to Its Professional Mandate

 Ordinarily, as Adekunle Adebola Adebambo, I would not have raised the issue of the Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria (CIPPN) again. However, my conscience, guided by the Spirit of God whom I sincerely serve, will not permit me to remain silent when the future of an entire profession hangs in the balance.

This appeal is not written to condemn anyone. It is written because institutions outlive individuals, and history judges every generation by whether it strengthened or weakened the institutions entrusted to its care.

There is no doubt that God used Alhaji Lawal and the founding elders of ASSPPON to conceive, promote and sponsor the enactment of Act 24 of 2007, which established the Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria. For this historic achievement, they deserve the gratitude of every printer in Nigeria.

Nevertheless, it is important to distinguish between God's ultimate purpose and human motivation. Looking at developments since the establishment of CIPPN, it appears that commercial interests have increasingly taken precedence over the original vision of building a respected, globally recognized printing profession. As a result, the divine opportunity to place printing alongside professions such as accountancy, engineering, architecture and medicine has gradually been overshadowed by business considerations.

This trend has unfortunately continued to influence the administration of the Institute.
 A Chartered Institute is established primarily to regulate, develop and protect a profession. It exists to set standards, promote education, encourage research, uphold ethics, influence public policy and safeguard the future of practitioners. It is not established to function principally as a commercial advocacy platform for business operators.
Whenever commercial interests dominate professional regulation, both the profession and the industry ultimately suffer.
Permit me, therefore, to explain why this direction must change.

Today, tertiary institutions offering Printing Technology, and those proposing programmes in Printing Management and related disciplines, are producing competent graduates. Yet, under the current structure of the Nigerian Civil and Public Service, these graduates are largely confined to middle-level manpower positions and rarely progress beyond Salary Grade Level 14.

This is evident across many Federal and State Government Presses. Professional printers seldom occupy the highest technical and administrative positions. When they prepare technical memoranda or policy papers, such documents usually pass through directors from unrelated professions before reaching the final approving authority. Where exceptions occur, they are often based on administrative discretion rather than an established professional framework.

This reality should concern every stakeholder in the industry.

More disturbing is the institutional neglect of the Nigerian printing industry. Despite its strategic importance to education, manufacturing, national security, elections, publishing, pharmaceutical packaging, financial documentation and industrial development, the industry has no dedicated Standing Committee in the National Assembly and no full-fledged department within the relevant Federal or State Ministries.

Many sectors with comparable or even smaller economic footprints are represented by specialized government agencies headed by Directors-General or Chief Executives. By virtue of its strategic role in national development, the printing industry deserves structured recognition within the Ministry responsible for Industry, Trade and Investment, supported by a clear national policy framework.

Instead of pursuing these strategic objectives, however, CIPPN is increasingly perceived as concentrating on commercial advocacy. Whether or not this perception is universally accepted, it is one that deserves careful reflection because perception often shapes public confidence.

If this direction continues, the long-term consequences may be profound.

The printing profession risks being reduced to little more than a technical course in polytechnics instead of evolving into a fully recognized profession supported by universities, postgraduate research, specialized faculties, policy think tanks, professional chairs, international collaborations and leadership development.

This would not only diminish the status of professional printers but also weaken Nigeria's industrial capacity.
A nation that neglects its printing profession weakens its educational system, its publishing industry, its security printing capability, its packaging sector, its electoral integrity and its manufacturing value chain.
The issue before us, therefore, extends far beyond printers alone. It concerns national development.
Whether you have children, younger relatives or students looking up to you, consider this question.

How would you feel if the profession your child studied at university were denied recognition by government? How would you react if years of university education resulted in a career treated merely as an unregulated trade rather than a respected profession with recognized standards, clear career progression and institutional support?

 If such a future would be unacceptable for your family, it should equally be unacceptable for future generations of professional printers in Nigeria.
The time has therefore come for courageous leadership.
Let us separate professional regulation from commercial interests.
Let us build institutions rather than protect individual businesses.
Let us place professional competence above commercial influence.
Let us encourage universities to establish degree programmes and research centres in Printing and Graphic Communication.
Let us advocate for postgraduate education that will produce professors, researchers, innovators and policy experts in printing.
Let us work towards creating recognized director-level career pathways for professional printers within government establishments.

Let us advocate for stronger institutional representation of the printing industry within the Federal Government and the National Assembly.
Let us build international partnerships that will position Nigerian printers among the best in Africa and the world.
Above all, let us ensure that CIPPN fulfills its statutory mandate as a true professional regulatory institution worthy of its charter.
History will not remember us primarily for the contracts we secured or the businesses we protected.
History will remember whether we built an institution that transformed an industry and secured the future of generations yet unborn.
The choice before us is clear.

 We may continue on the present path and gradually watch the profession lose relevance, or we may recommit ourselves to the original vision of establishing a Chartered Institute that stands proudly alongside Nigeria's foremost professional bodies.
The future of Nigerian printing will not be determined by circumstances alone.
It will be determined by the decisions we make today.
May wisdom, courage and selflessness guide every leader entrusted with the stewardship of this noble profession.
Adekunle Adebola Adebambo