The Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD), a public procurement advocacy group in Nigeria, has praised President Bola Tinubu for reforming public sector procurement.
In a statement released on Thursday, Omoniyi Akingunola, NEFGAD’s country head of office, praised Adebowale Adedokun, the director-general of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), over his presentation to Tinubu, which led to the approval of the agency’s role as the coordinating centre for all federal procurement activities.
Akingunola said NEFGAD welcomed the directive by the federal executive council (FEC) instructing ministers to submit comprehensive project lists from their agencies to the BPP for scrutiny before presidential approval.
He described the directive as a fulfilment of the president’s commitment to strengthening regulatory oversight under the Public Procurement Act, 2007.
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“Public procurement is a key driver of national development, improving citizens’ quality of life through infrastructure and social services,” the statement reads.
Akingunola urged the BPP to leverage its enhanced authority to ensure procurement processes are competitive, transparent, and accountable, delivering tangible benefits to Nigerians.
He also called on the bureau to enforce strict adherence to the 2025 Appropriation Act, particularly the requirement for needs assessments before project funding.
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He warned that projects lacking this legal prerequisite risk becoming avenues for corruption without benefiting the public.
The NEFGAD chief urged the BPP to prevent ministries and agencies from undertaking projects beyond their statutory mandates and reform the contracting system to include more small and medium-sized enterprises to end the cycle of contract monopolies.
He emphasised the importance of prioritising projects that directly impact citizens’ welfare and urged the BPP to ensure funding is directed accordingly.
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