The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Procurement

  • Reps seek change of Armed Forces procurement processes

    Reps seek change of Armed Forces procurement processes

    Procurement processes for the acquisition of arms and ammunitions for the Nigerian Army and all the security agencies operating in the country should reviewed, the Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Army, Rima Shawulu suggested yesterday.

    Shawulu, who spoke  during the budget defence of the Nigerian Army which had the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.Gen Tukur Buratai and other military chiefs in attendance, said a new approach to arms procurement will eliminate some of the controversies surrounding the exercise.

    He said: “The controversies over the purchase of arms and ammunitions or alleged purchase f inferior or substandard arms call for an urgent review of our processes.

    “Indeed our several scholar, leaders and generals have repeatedly affirmed, war is too important to be left in the hands of generals.

    “The world have moved on in most democratic countries, representatives of the people, the parliament is involved in the details of implementation of budgets and procurement processes. “

    Some top military officers have been arrested over a $2.1 billion arms purchase scandal over alleged involvement.

    The former National Security Adviser (NSA) to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), is presently facing criminal and corruption charges in a court of law over the same issue.

    Similarly,the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission recently arrested a serving senior officer of the Nigerian Air Force in connection with the $2.1 billion arms purchase deal.

    However, the Shawulu-led committee differed on calling retired Service chiefs, who were involved in procurement for questioning.

    Lt.Gen Buratai told the committee that “all the Service chiefs and those involved in the procurement are retired, so we are limited on the extent we can investigate them.”

    Shawulu was of the opinion that the Green Chamber has constitutional power to investigate the arms purchases of the past administration and call anyone for interrogation.

    The lawmaker also expressed concerns over the dilapidated state of the facilities in the 30 military formations and barracks which the committee visited during a recent familiarisation tour.

    He said: “In all, we visited and related with officers in about 30 formations in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Our discovery calls for a review in the way we do things.

    “It is sobering that the officers and men who have dedicated their lives to fighting to keep us safe, live in such scandalous accommodation. It is also shocking that the decay and rot in the system has been left unchecked and our soldiers fighting without the required equipment.

    Stressing the need for adequate budgetary provision for the rehabilitation of 117 barracks across the country, Shawulu, said his committee has sent a letter to Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Senate President Bukola Saraki to increase in the budgetary allocation for the Nigerian Army in the 2016 Budget.

    The COAS said the Army is continuously re-strategising to meet daunting challenges, adding that partial implementation or non-release of budgetary allocations would certainly have negative impacts on campaign plans.

    The budget proposal for the Army is N160.848 billion as against N149.8 billion last year’s Budget.

    In the proposal, N129.654 billion is allocated for personnel cost, N13.301 billion  for overhead and N21.339 billion for capital component.

    Buratai noted that the N160 billion allocation was inadequate for the Army compare to the N520 billion it requested for.

  • Fed Govt ‘saved N628b from procurement audit’

    Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dr. Joe Abba yesterday said  through periodic audits of the various procurement processes of the Federal Government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) had in the last seven years, saved the government N628 billion that would have been spent uneconomically by its MDAs.

    He spoke at an event  set aside by the United Nations (UN) to mark the international day of anti-corruption in Abuja .

    According to him, last year, the BPP was able to save N98 billion from the various procurement plans of the MDAs.

    Speaking on the occasion,  Vice President, Prof Yemi Osibanjo,  said  the government was already mulling a new legislation that will provide protective cover for citizens who undertake acts of ‘whistle blowing’ to expose corrupt acts and persons in government and businesses in the country.

    The anti-corruption day seminar was organised by the Inter-Agency Task Team (IMTT) which is housed through the Presidency by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

    Abba however said through careful audits of all federal MDAs procurement exercises, the BPP has since 2009 ensured that incidences of wasteful procurements are curtailed.

    He added that President Muhammadu Buhari has also directed that all queries on procurement audits issued by the BPP to any government MDAs must be answered within 24 hours of such issuance.

    According to him, the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) which is domiciled in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) and centralises the database system for Nigerian public service with single, accurate source of employees’ information to prevent wastage and leakages in workers remuneration has also contributed in keeping government’s funds from being fritttered away.

    “The BPP has saved N628 billion in the last seven years alone starting from 2009; we have put in place processes that have reduced wastages in government’s procurement.

    “In addition to ensuring that procurements are properly done, the IPPIS has also come into the system to help cut off ghost workers and save money. When it is fully rolled out, we anticipate that more checks on government workers will be done to weed out more ghost workers,” Abba said.

    On audit queries, he said: “In terms of audit queries, Mr. President has directed that all audit queries must be answered within 24 hours. These are some of the measures that are in place now.”

    Notwithstanding, the Vice President who was represented on  the occasion by Prof. Sadiq Radda, a member of the Prof. Itse Sagay Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, said the government would be seeking the active participation of Nigerians in its fight against corrupt practices in the country.

    Osibanjo noted that deliberate choice of Nigerians to keep quiet on instances of corrupt practices will rather hurt the country.

  • Set up Public Procurement Council, now

    SIR: The inauguration of new ministers and conferment of portfolio on them have set the ball of governance rolling. However, in order not place the cart before the horse, it is time for the President to constitute the National Council on Public Procurement (NCPP).  President Muhammadu Buhari during his campaigns promised to set up the NCPP and this was also re-affirmed in his inauguration speech. The constitution of the NCPP suffered set back during the last administration as a result, the Federal Executive Council took it upon itself to award contracts in breach of the law.

    Recall that the Public Procurement Act 2007, made provisions for the National Council on Procurement and gave it powers to set up the bureau for public procurement. Section (2) of the Act enumerated functions of the council: To consider, approve and amend monetary and prior review thresholds by procuring entity; consider and approve policies on public procurement amongst others. The NCPP is to certify federal procurement prior to the awards of contract, and supervise the implementation of established procurement policies. As provided in the PPA 2007, there are certain thresholds of contracts which cannot be approved by the permanent secretaries; such contracts are to be referred to the council. Contracts with thresholds above N10 million for works and N5 million for goods are to be referred to the council for approval.

    In the past regime, the President assumed the powers of the chairman of the NCPP, and was responsible for the approval of large-scale contracts. Meanwhile the Act provided that the council be chaired by the minister of finance who is expected to work with industry/sector experts. Nigeria Bar Association, Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Nigeria Society of Engineers, Civil Societies and the media are amongst external members that make up the council. The composition of the council is meant to provide for transparency, professional advice and general oversight into the activities of the Bureau.

    Today, we are witness to the negative results being experienced as a result of mismanagement of resources, most of which have risen out of procurements and award of contracts. Contract-inflation and delay in the execution of contracts have been the order of events. The negative impact of the President meddling in the procurement process, will not only lead to distraction in governance it will also  question the integrity of the President in the event that such contracts fails to achieve value for money.

    As the ministers settle down to work, the President should as a matter of urgency, constitute the NCPP so as to ensure that the change agenda is realized ab-initio in the awards of contract. The constitution of the NCPP will create environment for sound procurement systems to thrive and will help to block leakages from contract awards. If the President responds positively to this, he would have once again, demonstrated his resolve to fight corruption and end up engendering quality procurement and cost savings in the awards of contracts.

    • Emejuiwe Victor,

    Centre for Social Justice, Abuja.

  • Reps urge Fed Govt to constitute procurement council

    Reps urge Fed Govt to constitute procurement council

    The House of Representatives yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute the Board of the National Council of Public Procurement.

    The resolution was sequel to the adoption of the prayers of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by James Faleke (APC-Lagos).

    According to the lawmaker, section 1 of the public procurement Act of 2007 provides for the establishment of the board of National Council of Public Procurement.

    Faleke said the Council when constituted would be screened and approved by the Senate.

    The House yesterday also resolved to investigate the debt profile of all tiers of government, with a view to establishing their levels of compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

  • Global experts to discuss public procurement

    Global experts to discuss public procurement

    A former top US presidential aide who served three American Presidents, Dr. Allan Burman is amongst top speakers expected at the 2014 National Conference on Public Procurement (NACOPP), at the State House Conference Centre (formerly Banquet Hall), Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Abuja.

    The conference, to be declared open by President Goodluck Jonathan, is being organised by  National Public Procurement Forum (NPPF).

    The NPPF, according to Conference Planning Committee Chair, Ms. Arinola Giwa Amu, is a union between Public Procurement entities at the Federal and state levels in a renewed bid to forge a working relationship at key tiers of government.

    Giwa Amu, who is also Senior Special Adviser, Due Process, to the Delta State Governor, revealed that Federal and State Public Procurement entities are convinced that the procurement reform will grow better if awareness is continuously created amongst public procurement functionaries.

    It is the reason why NPPF is, besides inviting Mr. Burman,  also expecting Executive Director of the Washington based International Law Institute (ILI), Ms. Kim Phan and notable Nigerian procurement scholar, Dr. Sope Williams Elegbe from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa.

  • Procurement Academy berths in Lagos

    An institution Procurement Academy Programme has opened in Ikeja, Lagos. It is being operated by Daca Consults Limited, a multi-disciplinary consulting firm.

    Its founder, Mr. Adebayo Ayoade, said the idea of the academy arose from his desire to hone the skills of experts and other stakeholders in the industry.

    He said because procurement professionals are important in an organisation, there was the need to retrain them, adding that the school will operate in three phases – as a monthly programmes, institute and research centre.

    Ayoade said the Federal Government enacted the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007 to ensure transparency in its spending, noting that this was based on a recommendation by the World Bank in the Country Procurement Assessment Report (CPAR). So far, he said, states, such as Lagos, Ekiti, Niger, and Rivers have domesticated the Act while others, such as Oyo, and Nasarawa are about to do so.

    At institution’s maiden lecture, Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN) President, Alhaji Mohammed J. Aliyu, sought professionalism for the “rapid development” of the country. He said until his colleagues were entrusted with strategic government’s acquisitions, we would continue to have cases of corruption, abandoned and inflated projects. He berated professionals who dump ethics for the filthy lucre.

    The General Manager, Lagos State Procurement Agency, Akin Onimole, urged procurement officers in the civil service to handle complaints and put in place a review mechanism to handle problems that might arise from tenders.