The Director-General, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, MCIPS, ACFE has stated that, budget support to Nigeria should not be delayed because, the ongoing review and amendment of the 2007 Procurement Act is being done through the institution of parliament called ‘Finance Act’.
The DG made this known while receiving the African development Bank (AfDB) delegation, who were in his office on Appraisal Mission for the second phase of the Economic Reform Programme and assessment of the Procurement Landscape in order to move forward.
Dr. Adedokun called for enhanced collaboration between BPP and AfDB in areas of institutional support as he gave some clarification on the 2007 Public Procurement Act Amendments. He added that the amendment does not change the procurement system in Nigeria but has tremendously improved the system. He said that the Procurement Act needs minor adjustment in some key areas, which makes it deliverable in strengthening the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO), whereby, primarily, every MDA is subject to having procurement Plans. As it stands, Nigeria has taken the lead in Procurement Plans, and it would be treated as a criminal offence in Nigeria if procurement plans are not adhered to.
The DG reiterated that BPP new revised regulations on procurement documents have been amended for all MDAs to use. The Bureau is making effort to push for the presentation of the revised procurement Act to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) before submission to the National Assembly.
The leader of the delegation, Kevin Lumbila, the Regional/Divisional Manager and Procurement Coordinator, AfDB, said, their visit was to take an overview on procurement landscape, which is key to any investment African Development Bank, is bring in Nigeria.
He stressed on reaching a consensus and time-frame for the enactment of the amended Procurement Act, as he emphasized the possibility of AfDB to give institutional support and general map assessment which of course is demand driven.
In his response, the DG outlined some achievements from prior actions in areas BPP is making savings and supporting revenue generation, of which, within the previous Six (6) weeks, BPP has saved N1.3b ≡ (23m USD, 115,000 Euro) from contract review processes; Publication of Policy documents on Medical and Health Equipment; Partnering with the United Nation (UN) on WOMEN Empowerment for Affirmative procurement; Giving public enlightenment for he media to enlighten and sensitize Nigerians on procurement activities.
Dr. Adebowale further expressed his optimism in collaborating with professional bodies, Office of the Auditor General of the Federation for Procurement Audit, Reporting to the National Assembly on the outcome of procurement audit for the previous years; carrying out procurement surveillance; organizing national conference on Public Procurement across the 36 states among other initiatives.
The DG called for institutional support in the areas of Technical support , such as Legal Reforms, Procurement Reforms, IT Reforms, Public enlightenment and communication, as well as Capacity building for both Local and Foreign programs. Adding that, BPP should be given the highest consideration and support to enable the government perform and deliver on its mandate.
Signed
Zira Zakka Nagga
Head of Public Relations (BPP)
