The Bureau of Public Procurement marks the 16th Edition of the Capacity-Building programme, demonstrating the Bureau’s sustained commitment to institutionalise trained, certified and accountable procurement professionals; a programme designed to strengthen competence, ethical standards and professionalism within the Nigerian Procurement System.
This serves as the first Batch of the 2025 induction course for officers transiting into the procurement officer cadre and induction for newly appointed procurement personnel from the various Federal and States Procuring Entities held at the PTDF Centre for Skills Development and Training (CSDT), Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement, Dr. Adebowale A. Adedokun, FCIPS, FCILT, ACFE, while welcoming the delegations and participants, extends his heartfelt gratitude to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his unwavering commitment in strengthening procurement reforms and fortification of transparency which granted BPP the mandate to elevate professionalism and position procurement as the strategic engine of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He also appreciated the Government and People of Rivers State for their partnership and collaborative spirit in hosting this National Programme.
Dr. Adedokun stated that convening at the PTDF-CSDT is a clear testament of the “Nigeria First” Policy as the World-Class facilities and cutting-edge training programme of PTDF projects is achieved when we harness domestic resources to build capacity.
DG BPP emphasised that the training is a commitment to fortify the capacity to deliver public project with efficiency and transparency and outlined key reforms and achievements of the Bureau which has been accelerated under the present administration, such as:
Effective engagement with the National Assembly whose legislative support sustains procurement framework.The recently approved debarment policy for Nigerians to enforce the removal of errant suppliers from the procurement system.
The new procedures for variations, change of scope, and price fluctuation are to be administered directly by the BPP.
Revised Standard Bidding Document and Procurement Manual to close loopholes and unambiguous guidance.
Strengthened audit function, expanded market intelligence, and deepened collaborations with oversight bodies, including Code of Conduct Bureau, EFCC, ICPC, AUGF, AGF to fortify our control environment.
The expansion of NOCOPO for transparency and ease of tracking of procurement cycles by the citizens, and the E-procurement initiative with priorit, which brings us closer to a fully digital procurement ecosystem aligned with global best practice.
Institutionalise professional excellence in the compulsory registration of procurement officers on the National Procurement Officers Management System (NACOMS), which enhances accountability, good ethical practice, and facilitates career progression.
The recent MAPS Initiative and National Procurement Strategy to chart a coordinated approach that aligns procurement with national economic priorities, promotes local industries and embeds sustainability.
However, Dr. Adebowale appreciated all Bureau’s Development Partners especially the World Bank, UN Women and FCDO whose technical and financial assistance has advanced this initiative and whose vigilance has helped to remain accountable to the public.
He reiterated that, to amplify the Bureau’s capacity and create seamless continuum of knowledge transfer, BPP has entered into Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with strategic government agencies such as ICPC, NASENI, ELRA and other professional bodies including CIPS, COREN, NBA ICPC, CILT,CPRCN and CIFCFIN.
He made it known that BPP will intensify capacity building through collaboration with the six Centres of Excellence of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM), Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), University of Benin (UNIBEN) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
However, Dr. Adebowale appreciated all Bureau’s development Partners and Civil Society Organisation whose technical and financial assistance has advanced this initiative and whose vigilance has helped to remain accountable to the public.
He made it known that BPP will intensify capacity building through collaboration with distinguished centres of excellence and Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement Programme (SPESSE), supported by the World Bank to institutionalise procurement education within the Nigerian universities for future professionals and to ensure that the procurement ecosystem is equipped with the knowledge and skills to sustain reforms for generation to come.
He urged all participants to engage fully in the programme to sharpen their expertise and reaffirm ethical resolves as Nigeria needs competent and courageous procurement officers to uphold due process at all times, and wished all participants a productive and transformative training programme.
The Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Mr. Ahmed Aminu Galadim appreciated Dr. Adebowale and the BPP team for choosing the CSDT for this critical national assignment, as he deeply values the Bureau’s confidence in PTDF.
Mr, Galadima welcomed all high-powered delegations and participants to the CSDT as he stated that the mandate of PTDF is to develop human and institutional capacity.
He stated that this continuous training marks a historical milestone, being the first official training programme to be conducted at CSDT.
He clearly stated that, the decision to host this year’s training at PTDF CSDT is born shortly after the visit of the DG BPP to CSDT and his notable discovery of the scale of infrastructure, quality facilities and clear vision of the centre to deliver national training programme.
He urged all participants to be fully engaged as knowledge gained will strengthen procurement practice and enhance public service delivery across the nation’s institutions.
The Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, appreciated BPP and PTDF for their partnership, which will crystalise into training of over 1000 procurement officers in 2025 which comes in batches. Adding that PTDF CSDT is built for world-class training systems not just for the middle cadre of oil and gas sector but for core civil servants.
He encouraged everyone that CSDT will provide the best ambient for the training, and at the end, participants will gain adequate knowledge.
Other high delegations are the Director- General, Rivers State Bureau of Public Procurement, Dr. (Engr.) Mrs. Ine Tamounoprinye E. Briggs, FNSE; the representative of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Oil and Gas Freezones Authority (OGFZA), who is the head of procurement, Mr. Alex Ekanone Pagson: the representative of the Chairman Code of Conduct Bureau, who is the Director South-South Zonal office, Mr. Nwobodo Okechukwu; and the representative of the Managing Director, South-South Development Commission (SSDC), who is a board member, representing Rivers State SSDC, Engr. Chika Chinda, all lend their voices in their various goodwill messages to promote the continuous capacity building programme and commended the DG BPP for his visionary leadership, and appreciated the facilitators and organisers for bringing this programme to a reality which will inculcate values of integrity, professionalism, transparency and strong sense of national duty.
The representative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Olusegun Adeyemi Adekunle, Esq, OON, KJW, whom is the technical advisor to the SGF in his welcome address stated that integrity and professionalism remain the soul of public procurement and public procurement is the critical link between policy and practice where government plans and budgets are translated into tangible services and infrastructure for citizens.
He emphasised that going by the Public Procurement Act, 2007 which explicitly empowers BPP to organise training and development programmes for professionals, BPP is fulfilling a legal mandate and moral duty by convening this capacity building exercise to equip procurement officers with the skills and ethics requires to manage public resources effectively.
“It is pertinent to recall the policy directive issued by this office in June 2017, which prohibited unqualified personnel from performing procurement functions in any MDA where a career procurement officer is available That circular directed MDAs without qualified officers to engage BPP for training and ensure such staff undergo conversion or induction into the procurement cadre. The intention and objective include underpinning public procurement as a specialised profession and ensuring that they trained, certified officers oversee this critical function. This will help us in the quest for professionalization, protect the sanctity of procurement process, and uphold the standard for our profession” he said.
He said that, BPP is always available to provide guidelines and interventions in complex cases, as he urged all participants to conduct themselves appropriately, take full advantage of the programme to seek clarifications, gain knowledge and deepen their technical competences to bring out positive change.
He calls on everyone to uphold the integrity of our procurement system for the good of our nation, as he declares the 2025 Mandatory Continuous Public Procurement Capacity Building programme open.
e-Signed
Zira Zakka Nagga
Head of Press and Public Relations (BPP)
November 27, 2025
