Section 5: Admission to the institute, classes of members and recognition of National service

(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, a person or body admitted to the Institute shall possess adequate knowledge of purchasing and supply and be registered as a member of the Institute in the category of-
(a) Fellow;
(b) Honorary Fellow;
(c) Chartered Member;
(d) Graduate Member;
(e) Associate Member;
(f) Corporate Member ; and
(g) Student Member.
(2) A person or body accorded by the Council the status of a member shall be enrolled as-
(a) a Fellow, if he is a chartered member of high professional standing who-
(i) has served the Institute and had not less than 7 years experience in a senior purchasing and supply post in a private or public organization at the time of his application or enrolment, or
(ii) is not currently engaged in purchasing and supply but has been employed in senior management position in private or public organization for not less than 7 years;
(b) Chartered Member if-
(i) he has passed all the examinations prescribed by the Council, and has a minimum of three years continuous working experience in purchasing and supply in any private or public organization, or
(ii) he is a chartered member of a foreign purchasing and supply professional body recognized by the Council and his class of the membership is, in the opinion of the Council equivalent to that of membership of the Institute and he has a minimum of one year working experience in any private or public organization in Nigeria, and shall have passed a stipulated examination before enrolment,
(iii) he has updated his professional knowledge at least once in a year through the Institute's mandatory proficiency programme, or
(iv) he is eligible for election into any position in the Institute and has paid his fees for four consecutive years immediately preceding the year of election;
(c) Graduate Member, if he is in possession of requisite academic qualification and has passed all the examinations prescribed by the Council;
(d) Associate Member if he is in possession of requisite qualifications from other fields of study as may be determined from time to time by the Council and he shall not be eligible to vote or be voted for at elections of the Institute;
(e) Honorary Fellow if he is a person of distinction in the field of supply, law, stores, accounting, politics economy, management, engineering or any similar discipline, but he shall not be eligible to vote or be voted for at any election of the Institute;
(f) Corporate Member if it is an employer of labour and meets the criteria set by the Council for registration in that category; and
(g)
Student Member if he is pursuing a course in purchasing and supply in any institution approved by the Council but-
(i) he shall not be eligible to vote or be voted for at elections of the Institute, and
(ii) his name shall not appear in the membership register.
(3) For the purpose of subsection (2) (f) of this section, all corporate members shall cause their staff in purchasing and supply chain management functions to register with the Institute to foster their ethical standards and self regulation in the purchasing and supply profession.
(4) A person who desires to be admitted into the Institute shall make a formal application to the Registrar of the Institute on the appropriate form as shall, from time to time, be prescribed by the Council and shall state under what class of membership he seeks for admission.
(5) A person applying for membership shall, in addition to evidence of qualification, satisfy the Council that-
(a) he is of good character; and
(b) he has not been convicted by any court or tribunal in Nigeria or elsewhere of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty, or such other offence as, in the opinion of the Council, would render the applicant unfit to be a member of the Institute.
(6) The Registrar shall place before the Council all applications for admission stating in each case whether the applicant is qualified for registration in the class under which he seeks for admission and if not so qualified, whether he qualifies for admission under any other class.
(7) Where the Council is satisfied that the person is qualified for admission-
(i) under the class for which he applied, the Registrar shall, upon payment of the prescribed fees by the applicant, enrol the person in that class, and issue him a certificate of membership appropriate for that class, and
(ii) into another class other than for which he applied, the Registrar shall, upon the person's application amend his application to state the class under which he is qualified and the Registrar shall, after the amendment and upon payment of the prescribed fees by the applicant, register him and issue a certificate of membership appropriate for that class.
(8) Fellows and Chartered Members of the Institute shall be entitled to the use after their names the word "Fellow (or Honorary Fellow) of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing und Supply Management of Nigeria" respectively or the initials "FCIPSN" and "MCIPSN".
(9) At the completion of the Institute's final professional examination, an eligible student shall proceed for the National Youth Service in line with the relevant law establishing it.
(10) A holder of the final professional certificate of the Institute shall be entitled to employment in private and public service on the same rank applicable to members of other chartered professional bodies in Nigeria.
(11)
A holder of the final professional certificate of the institute shall, after 3 years of graduation, be eligible for a practicing certificate as a "Chartered Procurer" on satisfying the institute's requirement by attending two consecutive mandatory professional assessment course, at least once in a year and the certificate is subject to renewal every year, on a fees to be determined by the Council.