By Joy Odor
The Registrar-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN), Mr. Henry Mbadiwe, has called for greater ethical responsibility in journalism and stronger application of project management principles in diplomacy and national development.
Speaking at the 2025 Bi-Annual International Conference of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DICAN), Mbadiwe delivered a passionate keynote that resonated across the diplomatic, media, and intelligence communities.
Held under the theme “Nigeria’s 4Ds Foreign Policy Strategy Amidst Global Security Challenges, Strategic Misconceptions, and the Age of Disinformation: The Role of Diplomacy, Intelligence and Media in Shaping National and Global Stability,” the conference brought together key stakeholders to examine the evolving role of communication in global and national peacebuilding.
Mr. Mbadiwe highlighted that sound project management principles including stakeholder analysis, strategic communication, and risk planning are essential tools not just for development initiatives but also for foreign policy, intelligence operations, and security interventions.
“In diplomacy, counterterrorism, and national development, we are managing projects. These require planning, clarity of goals, resource alignment, and execution strategy,” he said. “Without structure and vision, even the best policies collapse.”
Addressing the media, the CIPMN boss offered a sobering critique of rising disinformation, sensationalism, and reputational harm caused by unethical journalism.
“The pen is mightier than the sword—but today in Nigeria, the pen is being used as a sword,” he warned. “It is becoming a tool of destruction rather than truth.”
Recalling his own experience as the subject of false media narratives upon returning from the UK to serve in Nigeria, Mbadiwe urged journalists to uphold their role as builders of national consciousness and not tools of misinformation.
“Research before publishing. Verify before printing. Once the pen becomes a weapon, it loses its value in nation-building,” he stated.
He commended DICAN leadership, particularly the Chairman, for sustaining the conference despite challenges, praising his grit and consistency as hallmarks of true leadership.
The keynote struck a chord with many attendees, especially media professionals, who acknowledged the pressing need to return to fact-based, constructive reporting in an era of escalating global insecurity and information warfare.
As Nigeria navigates complex diplomatic terrains and internal stability challenges, the DICAN conference and voices like Mr. Mbadiwe’s reinforced the critical need for ethical communication, strategic leadership, and cross-sector collaboration to uphold national and global stability.
