A number of anti-corruption civil society organisations, or CSOs, have raised the stakes in what appears to be a new effort to address corruption in public procurement.
Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative (PRADIN), in partnership with the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), and the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), is facilitating the group, which is made up of four prominent CSOs.
A 2010 study by NGO Network, a national CSO working in the area of information management, identified procurement corruption as the cause of more than 70% of all corruption in the public sector in Nigeria. This information was mentioned in an invitation letter signed by Mohammed Bougei Attah, the National Coordinator of PRADIN, on behalf of the group and made available to this medium. Despite numerous investments made in the effort to lessen the issue, the threat, according to the letter, appeared to be growing.
Key stakeholders have been invited to a one-day Roundtable to discuss, digest, and advance a new strategy in tackling the cankerworm in order to put into motion practical steps and strategies towards addressing the phenomenon that will aid the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the fight against corruption.
The Independent Corrupt Practises and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply management of Nigeria, and the Bureau of Public Procurement are a few of the significant stakeholders who were invited and divided into the three categories of implementer, regulators, and monitors. The Nigeria Society of Engineers, the Strategy Implementation Task Office for the Presidential Executive Order 5, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, are additional organisations.
On Thursday, August 24, the event is scheduled to bring together representatives from the government, professional associations, and civil society organisations in an effort to foster collaboration and partnerships among those involved in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.