Administration: The Foundation of Governance and the Imperative for Repositioning the Chartered Institute of Administration
By Dr. Nelson Ogbemudia
Chartered Administrator.
July 25, 2026
The recent conversations surrounding the recognition and relevance of the Chartered Institute of Administration (CIA) have generated healthy debate among members and stakeholders. Such discussions are necessary because they encourage introspection and provide opportunities to identify practical pathways for institutional growth. While opinions may differ on the causes of the Institute’s present standing, there should be broad consensus that its future depends on deliberate leadership, strategic thinking, and the collective commitment of all stakeholders.
Before discussing the Institute itself, it is important to appreciate the profession upon which it is built, Administration.
Administration is arguably the oldest organised profession in human history. Long before the emergence of specialised disciplines such as accounting, banking, engineering, law, medicine, architecture, and information technology, there was administration. Even from a biblical perspective, the account of creation presents Adam as the first administrator. He was entrusted with the responsibility of managing the Garden of Eden, exercising stewardship over available resources, naming living creatures, and ensuring order within his domain. Whether viewed from a religious or historical standpoint, this narrative illustrates that administration is fundamental to organised human existence.
From the earliest civilisations to modern democratic societies, administration has remained the indispensable instrument through which institutions are organised, resources are managed, and policies are implemented. It is impossible to imagine effective governance without administration.
Indeed, governments across the world identify themselves through their administrations. We commonly speak of the Tinubu Administration, the Buhari Administration, the Jonathan Administration, the Babangida Administration, the Clinton Administration, the Trump Administration, and countless others. These expressions are not mere political labels.
They signify the systems, policies, leadership styles, and management structures that define each government’s tenure.
The concept extends beyond politics. Educational institutions are administered. Hospitals are administered. Agricultural programmes are administered. Corporate organisations operate through administrative systems. Religious institutions rely on administration. Even charitable organisations require sound administrative structures to achieve their objectives. In reality, every successful organisation is sustained by effective administration.
This explains why administration should never be regarded as a secondary profession. Rather, it is the platform upon which virtually every other profession operates.
Many respected professional bodies that enjoy significant recognition today evolved from administrative functions within their respective sectors before developing distinct professional identities. Institutes such as ICAN, ANAN, CIBN, CIPM, and others have built strong institutional brands over several decades through strategic leadership, continuous stakeholder engagement, effective advocacy, and sustained professional development.
Their success did not happen by accident.
It was the result of visionary leadership, institutional consistency, and deliberate efforts to position their members as indispensable professionals within the nation’s economic and governance architecture.
The Chartered Institute of Administration possesses similar statutory legitimacy. The Federal Government has already discharged its constitutional responsibility by establishing the Institute through decree 103 of 1994, thereby granting it legal recognition and authority to regulate the profession.
It is therefore important to appreciate that government cannot be expected to build the Institute on behalf of its members.
Legislation provides legitimacy.
Leadership creates relevance.
Recognition grows through consistent institutional performance, strategic engagement, and demonstrable value to society.
Consequently, the greater responsibility rests squarely with the leadership of the Institute, particularly the Governing Council and the National Secretariat. They carry the mandate not merely to manage the Institute’s affairs but to envision its future, expand its influence, and ensure that administration occupies its rightful place within Nigeria’s professional landscape.
This responsibility demands more than routine administration of examinations, membership registration, conferences, and annual ceremonies. It requires strategic institutional marketing, policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, public visibility, and continuous innovation.
Every successful professional body deliberately projects its relevance.
Professional recognition is rarely achieved through silence.
One practical strategy deserving serious consideration is the deliberate recognition of distinguished public servants and private sector leaders through carefully structured honorary fellowships.
The Executive, Legislature, Judiciary, Heads of Service, Permanent Secretaries, Directors-General, Chief Executives, military commanders, university administrators, and leaders of major private organisations perform fundamentally administrative responsibilities irrespective of their original professions.
An engineer leading a ministry becomes an administrator.
A medical doctor serving as a hospital chief executive functions primarily as an administrator.
A lawyer serving as Attorney-General performs substantial administrative duties.
A professor managing a university is fundamentally engaged in administration.
Recognising such individuals through honorary fellowships would accomplish several important objectives simultaneously.
First, it would deepen the Institute’s relationships with key decision-makers.
Second, it would increase awareness of the Institute’s statutory role among influential policymakers.
Third, it would create opportunities for collaboration on national administrative reforms.
Fourth, it would strengthen public appreciation of administration as a distinct and indispensable profession.
However, honorary recognition should never become ceremonial patronage. It must remain merit-based, carefully regulated, and reserved for individuals whose records genuinely reflect excellence in administrative leadership and public service.
Equally important is effective public communication.
Recognition without visibility produces limited institutional value.
Every major professional activity undertaken by the Institute should receive appropriate media coverage across newspapers, television, radio, digital platforms, and social media. Public visibility shapes public perception. Many institutions enjoy widespread recognition today because they consistently communicate their achievements and contributions to society.
Another important area requiring attention is decentralisation of institutional engagement.
The National Secretariat cannot single-handedly drive nationwide professional visibility.
State chapters should be empowered with structured programmes, strategic guidance, and measurable objectives that align with the Institute’s national vision. Every chapter should actively engage state governments, civil service commissions, local government administrations, universities, polytechnics, corporate organisations, and professional associations within their jurisdictions.
Such engagements could include public lectures, governance seminars, administrative leadership conferences, executive development programmes, policy dialogues, youth mentorship initiatives, and strategic partnerships with educational institutions.
These activities would gradually establish the Institute as a recognised authority on public administration, organisational leadership, and governance.
Equally important is investment in continuous professional development.
The contemporary administrator operates within an environment shaped by digital transformation, artificial intelligence, data analytics, cyber security, performance management, strategic leadership, and evidence-based policymaking.
Professional relevance therefore requires continuous learning.
Members should consistently receive opportunities to update their competencies through internationally benchmarked training programmes, certifications, research publications, and practical executive education.
An Institute that continually develops its members naturally earns greater respect from employers and government institutions.
Perhaps the greatest lesson from institutions that have achieved national prominence is that recognition is neither accidental nor automatic.
It is earned.
It grows through strategic planning, institutional discipline, visionary leadership, stakeholder confidence, and sustained public engagement.
The Chartered Institute of Administration already possesses one indispensable asset, legal recognition.
The challenge before it is transforming statutory recognition into practical relevance.
That transformation requires bold leadership, innovative thinking, strategic communication, and unwavering commitment to institutional excellence.
Ultimately, every organisation, every ministry, every corporation, every university, every hospital, and every government depends upon administration.
Regardless of professional background, every leader eventually becomes an administrator because leadership itself is fundamentally an administrative responsibility.
The Institute therefore occupies a unique position within Nigeria’s professional ecosystem.
Its task is not merely to regulate a profession but to champion the science and practice of effective administration as the foundation of national development.
If the leadership embraces this responsibility with vision, courage, and strategic purpose, the Chartered Institute of Administration will not need to seek relevance.
Its relevance will become self-evident, and its recognition will naturally follow.
Admin [Dr.] Nelson Ogbemudia.
Chartered Administrastor
Dawaki Abuja.
