Roles Of Professional Bodies In Promoting Ethical Practices

Table Of Contents

  • Meaning Of Professional Body
  • The Role Of Professional And Regulatory Bodies
  • List Of Some Professional Institutions And Associations In Nigeria
  • Some Professional Bodies And How They Regulate Ethical Practices

Meaning Of Professional Body

A professional body is a group of people in a learbed occupation who are entrusted with maintaining control or oversight of the legitmate practice of the occupation.

A professional body represents a profession when it is a body formally constituted for this purpose, and comprises substantial numbers of practitioners in a defined field.

The Role Of Professional And Regulatory Bodies

In the view of Harvey & Mason (1995), Professional and regulatory bodies play three roles:

1. First, they are set up to safeguard the public interest. This is what gives them their legitimacy.

2. Second, professional bodies also represent the interest of the professional practitioners and here they act as a professional association or trade union (including legitimating restrictive practices), or as a learned society contributing to continuous professional development.

3. Third, the professional or regulatory body represents its own self interest: the organizations act to maintain their own privileged and powerful position as a controlling body. This is where control, legitimated by public interest becomes confounded by control based on self-interest.

List Of Some Professional Institutions And Associations In Nigeria

There are many professional institutions in Nigeria that regulate different professions ranging from accounting to engineering. Some of these institutions also administer certificate examinations to members depending on their charter.

Passing these exams are seen as symbol of professional accomplishments and lend credence to the competence of the individuals who have passed the examinations.

The institutions also set ethical standards and standard of professional conducts for members including benchmarks and best practices. They are quasi regulatory agencies and can administers disciplinary actions for members misconducts.

The list below represents some but not all such bodies in Nigeria:

1. Institute of Chartered Accountants

2. Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria

3. Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria

4. Nigeria Institute of Estate Surveyors & Values

5. Association of General & Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria

6. Association of National Accountants of Nigeria

7. Business Education Exams Council

8. Centre for Law & Development

9. Certified Pension Institute of Nigeria

10. Chartered Institute of Marketing of Nigeria

11. Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria

12. Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers
13. Certified Institute of Cost Management
14. Medical & Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria
15. Nigeria Bar Association
16. Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors
17. Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research
18. Nigeria Institute of Management
19. Nigeria Institute of Town Planners
20. Nigerian Medical Association
21. Nigerian Society of Engineers
22. Science Teachers Association of Nigeria
23. Strategic Management Centre
24. West African College of Physicians
25. Institute of Directors
26. Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria
27. Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria
28. Manufacturers Association of Nigeria
29. The Nigerian Institute of Saftety Professionals
30. Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR)
31. Pharmacist Council of Nigeria
32. West African Institute for Financial & Economic Management
33. Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC)
34. Money Market Association of Nigeria
35. African Institute for Applied Economics
36. Nigeria Computer Society
37. Institute of Credit & Risk Management
38. Portfolio & Debt Management Institute
39. Institute of Chartered Economists of Nigeria
40. Association of National Accountants of Nigeria
41. Institute of Registered Administrative Managers of Nigeria
42. The Institute of Business Development
43. The Institute of Benefits and Trusts Management
44. The Institute of Pensions Management
45. Chartered Institute of Administration
46. Nigerian Institute of Professional Secretaries
47. Pipeline Professionals Association of Nigeria
48. National Teachers Institute
49. Nigeria Institute of Public Relations
50. Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria
51. The Institute of Chartered Secretaries of Nigeria
52. Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN)
53. Nigerian Institute of Architects
54. Nigeria Insurers Association
55. Nigerian Institute of Building
56. Nigeria Computer Society
57. Information Technology Association of Nigeria
58. Certified Institute of Warehousing & Materials Management
59. Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Nigeria
60. Certified Pension Institute of Nigeria
61. Money Market Association of Nigeria
62. Institute of Chartered Economists of Nigeria
63. Institute of Forensic Accountants of Nigeria
64. Chartered Institute of Cost & Management Accountants of Nigeria
65. The Institute of Company & Commercial Accountants of Nigeria
66. The Institute of Registered Administrative Managers of Nigeria
67. The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply
68. Institute of Industrial Security & Saftefy of Nigeria
69. Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria
70. Nigerian Institute of Saftey Professionals (NISP)
71. Institute of Finance and Control of Nigeria
72. Institute of Treasury Management
73. Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply
74. Chartered Institute of Commerce of Nigeria
75. Society of Construction Industry Arbitrators of Nigeria
76. The Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport

Some Professional Bodies And How They Regulate Ethical Practices

Every professional body has its code of conducts to help it to ensure ethical practices for its members. The few professional bodies discussed here will give an insight into how these bodies operate:

1. Nigerian Bar Association

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), is the umbrella body of all lawyers admitted to practice law in Nigeria. A lawayer’s admission into the NBA is automatic having satisfied the members of the Body of Benchers with the requirements of good character and proficiency in the Bar Final Examination.
The NBA was officially recognized by law in 1933.

Goals And Objective Of NBA

1. Maintenance and defence of the integrity and independence of the Bar and the Judiciary in Nigeria.

2. Promotion and advancement of Legal Education, Continuing Legal Education, Advocacy and Jurisprudence.

3. Improvement of the system of administration of justice, its procedure and the arrangement of court business and regular law reporting.

4. Promotion and support of law refom.

5. Encouragement of the establishment of a National Law Library.

6. Maintenance of the highest standards of professional conduct, etiquette and discipline.

Thematic Programme Areas of NBA

The NBA is involved in the following thematics program areas, which include:

1. Electoral Reform

2. Justic Sector Reform

3. Anti Corruption

4. Constitutional Democracy and Good Governance

5. Economic Reform

6. Professional Standards and Ethics

2. The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE)

A registered Engineer may be engaged in research, in production, in supervision of construction, in management of engineering concern or as a designer; or he may be retained as a consultation for professional advice, inspection, certification or adjustication, or be engaged in any combination of these.

In discharging these responsibilities, a Registered Engineer shall uphold and enhance the honour and dignity of the Engineering profession and shall at all times act in strictly judicial manner as a faithful agent or trustee of his Client or as official arbiter between the Contractor and the Client.

He shall act with full regard to the Codes of Practice of the professional society, association or institution to which he belongs and in accordance with the Rules laid down in this Code of Conduct.

A Registered Engineer when trusted with the finances of his Client or Employer must let his honesty of purpose be above suspicion. When he acts as a professional adviser, he must let advice be absolutely disinterested.

When he is charged with the exercise of judicial function as between Owner and Contractor, he must act with entire impartiality and above all, he must at all times be conscious of the moral responsibility of his profession, his associates and his subordinates, and he must be fully conscious that the profession carries with it, great responsibility to the public.

3. Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (NDCAN) is made up of over 1,000 Medical and Dental consultants in 16 Federal University Teaching and Specialist Hospitals and 10 Federal Medical Centers in Nigeria.

The Medical and Dental professions in Nigeria are regulated by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act Cap 221 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 1990 which sets up the Medical and Dental of Nigeria with the following responsibilities:

-Determining the standards of knowledge and skill to be attained by persons seeking to become members of the medical or dental profession and reviewing those standards from time to time as circumstances may permit.

– Securing in accordance with provisions of this Law the establishment and maintenance of registers of persons entitled to practice as members of those persons.

– Reviewing and preparing from time, a statement as to the code of conduct which the council considers desirable for the practice of the professions in Nigeria; and

– Performing the other functions conferred on the Council by this
Law.

By provision (c) abovem the Council is empowered to make Rules for professional conduct and is also empowered to establish the Medical and Dental practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal and Medical Practitioners Investigating Panel for the enforcement of these Rules of Conduct.

These Rules of conduct are made to enable doctors in Nigeria maintain universally acceptable professional standards of practice and conduct.
They serve as standards in relationship of medical and dental practitioners with the profession, their colleagues, patients, members of allied professions and the public.

4. Chartered Institute of

Personnel Management of Nigeria
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPMN) was established in 1968. The cradle of the Institute was the department of Management Studies, Yaba College of Technology, Yaba.

It started as the Personnel Management Association of Nigeria and in 1973, it was renamed and has since taken on the current name.

Duties

The Institute is a corporate body charged with the general duties of: Determining what standard of knowledge and skill are to be attained by persons seeking to become registered as personnel management practitioners and raising these standards from time to time as circumstances may permit;

Securing in accordance with the provisions of the decree, Regulating and controlling the profession in all its aspects and ramifications.

Objectives of the Institute

To promote and develop the science and practice of personnel management in all its ramifications.

To foster and maintain investigations and research into the best means, methods of applying the science and art of personnel management and to encourage, extend, increase, disseminate and promote knowledge and exchange of information and ideas with regard to all questions relating thereto or connected therewitth.

Develop and maintain high standards of professional competence and ensure that the management of the human resources in Nigeria, both in the public and private sectors, conforms with the best professional standard;

To conduct research into and publish materials on all matters relating to the discipline of HRM.

Professional Code Of Conduct
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria is the apex regulatory body for Human Resource Management practice in Nigeria is committed to the highest possible standards of professional conduct and competency among its members.
A member of the professional must therefore carry out his/her and responsibilities with integrity and diligence;
Demonstrate competence and ethnical behaviours in all his business, professional and personal activities; promote, encourage and emplace acceptable processes and procedures in the practice of Human Resource Management within his/her sphere of influence.
Endeavour to make personal decisions after considering all options, of which resignation may be one, in defence of his code of conduct where there are conflict between professional obligations and the expectations of his job roles.