Court Shuts Down BPP’s Certification Ceremony After Rival Group Claims ‘Illegal Overreach’

A massive legal wall has been erected in front of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) just as it was preparing to crown a new batch of “certified” procurement officers. A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a “stop-work” order, bringing a sudden halt to the Bureau’s planned convocation and policy dialogue session.

The drama unfolded when the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN) dragged the BPP to court, claiming the agency was essentially “playing teacher” without a license. The Institute insists that the BPP, which is meant to regulate government contracts, has no business trying to certify or license individual practitioners a role they say is reserved exclusively for them by law.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu, delivering the emergency ruling, agreed that the ceremony must be put on ice. The court restrained the BPP and its agents from holding any form of certification or convocation program until the legal battle over who actually has the right to “stamp” a procurement officer’s credentials is fully resolved.

For months, a “cold war” has been brewing between the two organizations. The Institute has been vocal about its disapproval, describing the BPP’s attempts to run a National Procurement Certification Programme as “illegal and misleading.” They argue that the BPP’s job is to ensure government contracts are fair, not to act as a professional university.

This court-ordered “pause” is a major blow to the BPP, which has been pushing to professionalize the civil service procurement cadre. Hundreds of government officials who were set to receive their certificates this week now find themselves caught in the middle of this high-stakes turf war.

As it stands, the BPP’s convocation gowns will have to stay in the closet. The court’s decision sends a clear message: in the world of Nigerian law, having “regulatory powers” doesn’t automatically give an agency the right to act as a professional certification body. All eyes are now on the next court date to see if the BPP can find a legal loophole to restart its program or if the Institute will win the “exclusive right” to the procurement throne.