BPP, navy to collaborate on procurement training for military officers

The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) says it is committed to entrenching transparency, accountability, and professionalism in public procurement to enhance national development.

Adebowale Adedokun, director-general of the BPP, spoke during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the Nigerian Navy Logistics College, Kano.

According to a statement on Friday by Zira Nagga, head of public relations at the bureau, the meeting focused on building naval personnel’s capacity to manage procurement processes effectively.

Adedokun said the bureau was open to collaborating with the Nigerian Navy to ensure officers in the defence sector are properly trained and certified in procurement practices.

“If defence procurement is done rightly, it will maximise opportunity cost, scale of preference and professionalism,” he said.

“If the defence procurement is taken seriously, it will impact greatly on the security of the nation, in the sense that procured equipment and ammunition will be of higher grade and well managed.

“Properly trained procurement officers in the military will easily detect inferior equipment when it is being procured and have the capacity to negotiate for quality equipment.

“There will be a drastic reduction in the current security challenges, and it will also reduce poverty.”

He encouraged the navy to improve professional standards by leveraging the Nigeria procurement certification portal, a centralised digital platform for training and certification.

Adedokun also hinted at revisiting the villa project and noted that the navy was already demonstrating strong compliance in procurement processes.

On his part, Emmanuel Anakwe, commandant of the Nigerian Navy Logistics College, pledged to deepen collaboration with the bureau on procurement training.

He said the partnership would help officers become certified in public procurement, boosting professionalism within the service.

“The bureau’s collaboration with the Navy will strengthen and support the Navy’s initiative to build capacity for the best procurement practice in the military,” Anakwe said.

“Nigerian Navy Logistics College is set to work out modalities and harmonise its training logistics with BPP for effective capacity building.

“This is to ensure that the procurement cadre in the Navy is fully trained and certified.”

The Nigerian Navy Logistics College was established in 2022 to train logistics personnel and strengthen professionalism within the armed forces.