Group urges Tinubu to block leakages in public procurement

The Association of Nigeria Women in Procurement (ANWIP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to tackle corruption in public procurement by putting in place enduring due process.

The association equally called for the inauguration of the National Council of Public Procurement as recommended in Section 1 of the Public Procurement Act 2007.

National Coordinator, ANWIP, Patricia Uka, said a properly regulated and supervised public procurement will save the country from leakages and corruption arising from poor procurement and wastage of public funds.

Uka stated this when members of the association paid a visit to the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Chain Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN) in Lagos.

Received by Prof. Mohammed Aliyu, the Registrar, and other top management of the institute, Uka said public procurement by non-professionals has become the conduit pipes through which corruption and poor contracts are executed in Nigeria.

She said the trend, if unchecked, could further dampen the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu.

She said: “The truth is that every human activity is centred around procurement. No matter who you are, you buy or sell something every day. So, procurement is the core and life of any government, family, or individual.

“Regrettably, the Procurement Act that was enacted in 2007 has not become fully operational. The enactment that was supposed to be followed by an immediate inauguration of the National Council of Public Procurement to guide the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has not been done.”

The ANWIP boss alleged that the delay of the inauguration of the Council as specified by the Act 2007 is deliberate.

She emphasised that the routine award of contracts by the National Assembly and the government was a deliberate usurpation of the roles reserved for the yet-to-be-inaugurated Council in collaboration with professional procurers trained by CIPSMN as the regulatory authority.

She lauded the participation of trained and certified women in the procurement business, saying more women are getting certified by CIPSMN.

Earlier, the host and Registrar/CEO of CIPSMN, Prof Aliyu, who welcomed the ANWIP group, said procurement and supply chain management, whether public or private, remains an important system for spending money wisely on the acquisition of goods, work, and services needed for various programmes.

The Registrar, who commended the association’s commitment to professionalism and the institute, frowned at the short-circuited procurement processes, saying it has placed doubt on the integrity of many contracts due to arbitrary awards of contracts and jobs to nonprofessionals in the procurement business.

He said: “Execution of procurement plans is implemented using a procurement cycle that includes tendering or bidding, contract award, and contract management. The main objectives of these activities are delivery of quality and timely services to citizens through public procurement programmes and projects, implementation of which is supported by public procurement,” he said.

Stating that now was the time for the policy, procedure, and procurement professionals to take place, he called on President Tinubu to urgently involve procurement and supply chain management professionals adequately in the scheme of things instead of making it an all-comers’ affair.

Reiterating the call for the establishment of the National Council of Public Procurement, the Registrar added: “A sound public procurement system reflects good governance, while a weak public procurement system reflects bad governance.

“Please be informed that procurement and supply chain management is a profession only for the trained and certified procurement professionals, just as it applies to other recognised professional bodies like ICAN, ANAN, COREN, and NBA among others.”

He said members of the Council consist of the Minister of Finance as Chairman; the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of the Federation; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation; the Head of Service of the Federation; and the Economic Adviser to the President.

He added that others are six part-time members to represent the Nigeria Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management; the Nigeria Bar Association; the Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture; Nigeria Society of Engineers; the Civil Society;  the Media; and the Director-General of the Bureau, who shall be the Secretary of the Council.