1 month ago
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By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA – THE Nigerian authorities has debunked the study by the United States that the state lacks transparency successful its nationalist procurement, describing the allegation arsenic mendacious and lacking successful merit.
Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, said the reforms embarked upon by the President Bola Tinubu’s authorities has sanitised the process and brought transparency and accountability successful the system.
The BPP DG said wrong 1 and fractional years, helium has been connected the saddle, awards of contracts travel owed process and are advertised successful accordance with the Procurement Act and the bidding process has been transparent.
He besides said that anti-graft agencies similar the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Police and the Code of Conduct Bureau, CBB, are presently investigating and prosecuting those that person contravened the Public Procurement Act.
He argued that the US study whitethorn not person taken into information the reforms being
undertaken by Tinubu’s authorities and whitethorn person not taken clip to look astatine caller development.
According to him: “Prior to his (Tinubu) presumption of office, of course, determination were issues astir that, but since helium took implicit and since helium undertook a procurement reform, things person changed. For instance, successful presumption of transparency, contracts are being advertised for.
“There’s benchmarking, terms intelligence, authorities is benchmarking done Bureau of Public Procurement. Government has issued assorted circulars successful presumption of ensuring transparency and accountability successful the procurement process.
“You could besides spot that we are present engaging the civilian nine successful presumption of monitoring and evaluation. We’re discussing with nonrecreational bodies connected ensuring that there’s worth for wealth astatine each times. BPP arsenic the regulatory assemblage and my assignment arsenic a DG, you could spot successful the past 1 twelvemonth positive that a batch of reforms are ongoing successful presumption of issues of advertisement, issues of decentralization of the procurement processes.
“FEC (Federal Executive Council) support limits person been raised importantly precocious to springiness each authorities agencies the accidental to tally their procurement without immoderate hindrances by government.
“Again, BPP arsenic an instauration has been fixed state to behaviour monitoring and evaluation, to behaviour procurement audits nationwide. So the statement that Nigeria is not being transparent and accountable successful procurement processes is not close based connected the reforms that are ongoing currently.
“And overmuch more, authorities has committed itself to issues of physics authorities procurement, digitalization of these procurement processes. And we are connected it close present successful trying to marque definite that we transit to physics authorities procurement.
“And besides taking into information affirmative action, authorities is being transparent by getting women, younker and those with disablement to travel into procurement processes. And the instrumentality is besides being reviewed to accommodate each the gaps, challenges that were identified.
“And again, publishing of contracts that everybody would spot is thing present that contractors are penning petitions to BPP.and we are reversing grant of declaration that were wrongly awarded to agencies.”
Continuing, helium said: “Only a fewer days ago, oregon a fewer weeks ago, adjacent Nigeria advertised for a procurement that was won by a overseas steadfast who has ne'er entered Nigeria. Is that not transparency and accountability? Contracts were advertised successful Nigeria, companies overseas bidded without knowing anybody successful Nigeria, without entering into the state and they won and they are executing and they are being paid arsenic astatine erstwhile due.
*So, if successful the planetary space, they are saying things person not improved. I person conscionable fixed you an illustration of however overseas companies bidded for projects successful Nigeria. They person not stepped into this country. They submitted online, bidded online, got their grant missive online and they are executing it without stepping into Nigeria.
“So, their presumption whitethorn person been successful the past, but not currently. Nigeria is connected the threshold of full transparency and accountability successful its procurement system, including quality superior development.
“For the archetypal clip successful implicit 10 years, Nigeria is spending immense resources to heighten and physique capableness of procurement officers nationwide and giving th...
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