The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammad Bello, has called for amendment of the procurement Act saying it was slowing down administrative work.
Bello, who was speaking at the procurement retreat for CEOs of Parastatals, Agencies and Departments recently in Abuja noted that certain aspects of the Act made the day-to-day running of government cumbersome.
The further said that components of the procurement Act should incorporate local content as a key component, as according to him, “indigenous comtractors were finding it difficult to get jobs.”
While saying that the country can leverage on ICT to improve the process adding there should be a relationship between the tax local contractor pay and the type of contract they execute.
In his welcome address, the Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Mamman Ahmadu, insisted that an efficient public procurement process will allow for a more sustainable national productivity, development and growth of the economy.
According to him, the bureau was working with relevant stakeholders to resolve inadequacies in the procurement process and make it more efficient.
“In the view of the fact that the reform is imperative for the purpose of efficiency, transparency, accountability and value for money in the entire process, Nigeria’s status as a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) makes it rather more preponderant that all hands must be on deck to see to it that Nigeria escapes from the throes of corruption.
In this regards, the need for the bureau to take the lead in the reform process while developing the kind of capacity muscles needed for the success of the reform process through regular meetings of this kind is germane.”
For his part, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha, said it government would not hesitate to deal with any CEO that is found to have conspired with contractors to sideline the procurement process and procedures contrary to the act.
The SGF, who was represented by Permanent Secretary for General Services in the Office of the SGF, Olusegun Adekunle, said: “The ICPC and the EFCC are currently investigating cases of infractions which is against the Public Procurement Act (PPA), 2007,with the hope of punishing any civil servant found to have colluded with contractors to subvert the rules of the Act.
“Any CEO who defaults or colludes with contractors or found to sidelined the procurement process and procedure, contrary to the provisions of the PPA, 2007 would be sanctioned.”
