Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), in collaboration with anti-corruption agencies and other stakeholders, have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently establish and inaugurate the National Council for Public Procurement in order to combat the menace of procurement corruption, which accounts for over 70% of all corruption in Nigeria.
The CSOs also demanded that the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria, CIPSMN, be established in order to strengthen the nation’s battle against procurement corruption.
A communiqué released as a result of the meeting and jointly signed by Prof. Ismaila Mande of the National University of Nigeria, Wisdom Olisa of the NGO Network, and Victor Enejuire of the Centre for Social Justice contained the demands.
On Thursday, August 24, 2023, in Abuja, there was a one-day Roundtable on “CSOs Strategic Alliance and Think-tank Against Public Procurement Corruption in Nigeria.”
The Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative (PRADIN), in partnership with the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), and the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), convened the Roundtable.
“Tackling High Level Corruption in Public Procurement” was the event’s theme.
The Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), the Independent Corrupt Practises and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Strategy Implementation Office of the Presidential Executive Order 5 were among the key stakeholders from which participants were chosen.
According to studies done by NGO Network since 2010, over 70% of all corruption in the public sector is attributable to insufficient monitoring and prevention of frauds in the procurement of products, works, and services.
It was noted that the majority of procurement activities are now illegal as a result of the consecutive governments of Presidents Musa Yar’Adua through President Muhammad Buhari’s inability to formally establish the National Council for Public Procurement, or NCPP.
According to it, Nigerian management and the use of effective procurement practises lack professionalism as a result of non-compliance with some sections of the Public Procurement Act 2007.
It also made note of the fact that despite significant investments made by the government and the populace, corruption charges continue to rise everyday due in large part to a lack of effective and continuous coordination between government, CSOs, and professional groups.
It was further stated that since 2007 there has not been a biannual PROCUREMENT AUDIT of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, or MDAs, which has been a significant window for corruption and excesses documented in the system.
In order to address the issue of procurement corruption in the nation, it was advised that the government of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu immediately establish and inaugurate the National Council for Public Procurement and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria, CIPSMN.
On the basis of the aforementioned observations, the participants decided as follows:
“That the Government of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu should immediately establish and inaugurate the National Council for Public Procurement and that of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria, CIPSMN as contained in Part 1 Section 1 of the two existing loss Laws in order to strengthen the fight against procurement corruption in light of the country’s increasing number of high-profile cases.
“That the NCPP’s establishment and adherence to Sections 5-17 and 55 of the Public Procurement Act 2007 will guarantee professionalism in management and the use of effective procurement practises, assisting in bringing corruption down to its barest minimum.
All the participants agreed that procurement corruption, which makes up the majority of corruption as identified in prior studies by CSOs and the Roundtable, is a severe concern, and they therefore decided to engage new methods by all stakeholders to address the issue.
“That an enhanced partnership between the government, particularly the anti-corruption agencies, CSOs, and professional bodies will help greater in the prevention of and fight against procurement corruption in Nigeria.”
In order to lower the high degree of corruption in the public sector, the Communique stated that attendees at the Roundtable expressed their gratitude and commendation for the event’s organiser and urged for increased synergy, collaboration, and partnership in the fight against misprocurement.
Participants urged lawmakers in the 10th Assembly to remain vigilant and take note of the problems surrounding procurement corruption to help them in their oversight responsibilities, it was stated.
The document states that the organisers commended the ICPC, EFCC, BPSR, SITOPE, CIPSMN, the Academia, CSOs, and the media present for their dedication and the appeal for further collaboration in this cause.
