EMMA OKWUAHABA
Public sector procurement has been identified as one of the major channels of corruption in Nigeria, which has for long defied remediation. However, a procurement monitoring portal, launched in Abuja on June 2 by the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), a non-governmental organisation, seeks to check official corrupt practices in the country. Abimbola Akosile analyses an exhaustive process, which seeks to make Nigeria a better place for all
Exciting Picture
Imagine a scenario where any public procurement process is displayed on an easily accessible website for the average weary citizen to monitor any lapses by potential corrupt government officials. Imagine a situation where at the click of a computer mouse, previously hidden details of official procurement transactions are revealed for those who seek to know how government is expending the monies available for budget implementation.
Imagine where at the sight of the first discrepancy, an alarm is raised and the erring official is subjected to public odium, name-calling, strict sanctions, and even an unattractive jail term.
Now imagine a process like that being replicated at the federal level, and eventually trickling down to eager states and wary local councils; all in a bid to check official corruption and ensure capital expenditure is utilised in the proper manner all over Nigeria for nation-wide development.
That is the focus of the launch of the procurement monitoring portal, launched by the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), a non-governmental organisation, with active support from the United Nations Development Fund (UNDEF), a willing international organisation. A launch, which is the result of a painstaking process undertaken by PPDC and its affiliates, for a collective good.
Current Scenario
The latest official update on public procurement process in Nigeria is that, in line with the Public Procurement Act of 2007, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), one of the coordinating bodies for public spending in Nigeria, is currently collating procurement plans for uploading on their websites where they can be accessed by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs)
Meanwhile as that is going on at BPP, official looting and siphoning of public funds, through inflation of government contracts and bogus contracts for white elephant projects, continue unabated.
The plan to establish a public procurement portal by PPDC is both timely and necessary for national growth and development. It is one of the sub-themes under the Nigerian Procurement Monitoring Project designed by PPDC, according to the organisation's coordinator, Mr. Chibuzor Ekekwuo.
Vital Context
The role of governments all over the world is to provide for the welfare, peace and security of the citizens. It is for this reason that section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”
Governance, according to PPDC, envisages the management of public, material and human resources for the common good. Good and effective governance therefore is dependent upon the workings of institutions charged with the delivery of public good, services and the guarantee of public security.
Public procurement is a very important aspect of the delivery of public goods and services. Virtually every business of government is conducted through a procurement process. Where the process of procurement is unregulated and ineffective, it affects socio-economic and human development as public services and projects which give support to human existence and activities will be lacking.
In order to arrest this ugly trend, governments at Federal and State levels embarked upon various legal and institutional reforms to improve governance, economic development and the delivery of public goods and services to the citizens. These reforms led to the passage and signing into law of the Public Procurement Act (the Act) in June 2007.
The Act establishes the “National Council on Public Procurement and the Bureau of Public Procurement as the regulatory authorities responsible for the monitoring and oversight of public procurement, harmonizing the existing government policies and practices by regulating, setting standards and developing the legal framework and professional capacity for public procurement in Nigeria and for related matters.”
Progressive Collaboration
On January 27, Ekekwuo and his team paid an advocacy visit to the House of Representatives Committee on Due Process, led by Hon Maitama Tugar, at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
The advocacy visit was by a delegation of CSO members led by Public & Private Development Centre (PPDC) and representation from Crime Free and Peace Initiative (CRIPFI), Zero Corruption Coalition (ZCC), and National Procurement Watch Platform (NPWP).
In an address he presented to the legislators, the lawyer cum civil society practitioner sought to explain the rationale for PPDC's persistent quest for transparency and accountability in the public procurement process in Nigeria, and the need to check any sharp practices by public officials.
After the passage of the Public Procurement Act 2007, PPDC designed and launched its Procurement Watch Programme, which sought to activate the citizens monitoring provisions in that law. The programme, he said, soon secured support from PACT Nigeria ADVANCE programme and achieved some outputs.
These included the formation of the National Procurement Watch Platform along with many other CSO actors; publication of the first guide for procurement Observers called Non State Actors and Procurement Watch in Nigeria; an assessment of levels of implementation of Procurement Act 2007.
Crucial Project
The Nigerian Procurement Monitoring Project has four major objectives to build capacity of non state actors on procurement observation and monitoring; strengthen the legislature on procurement oversight and monitoring; improve access, analyses and sharing of procurement information; strengthen advocacy for improved transparency and accountability in the procurement process.
The programme is geared to establish an independent procurement monitoring mechanism for Nigeria. The strategy and activities will include capacity building; building partnerships; documentation and research; and design and deployment of ICT tool called Procurement Observatory.
To ensure shared ownership, as well as synergy with other existing development programs. PPDC is setting up an independent Advisory board for the Portal. The advisory board will meet annually to assess performance of the portal and suggest ways of making it more efficient and effective.
Monitoring Portal
The procurement monitoring portal aims to improve citizen participation in governance, in a way that supports improved integrity and prevents corruption in Nigeria, according to information from PPDC's Programme Officer of the Nigerian Procurement Monitoring Project, Miss Seember Nyager.
The portal is an initiative of the PPDC and part of the Nigerian Procurement Monitoring Programme, which aims to provide the much needed tools for increased and effective citizen monitoring of the Public Procurement Process.
The procurement monitoring portal, developed in consultation with many NGOs and development agencies in Nigeria, has an online free procurement monitoring training, free legal advice for registered journalists and procurement monitors, information sharing platform, mechanism for online collation and analysis of reports of procurement monitoring, based on a standard checklist, space for hosting sub-sites for stakeholders and mass mailing list capability all now functioning.
The first 50 Journalists, the first 50 NGOs and the first 50 Professional body representatives to register on the portal at www.procurementmonitor.org will enjoy free legal advice from a top-notch Nigerian Procurement law firm on all their procurement related activities via the blog.
Deserved Gratitude
Ekekwuo (sic), who welcome stakeholders to the formal launch of the completed Nigerian Procurement Observatory, gave special thanks to PACT Nigeria for their continuous support to PPDC.
He expressed gratitude to Dan Spealman and Ekanem Bassey for nurturing the dream, to Chief Bayo Awosemusi, the Lead procurement specialist of the World Bank, Dayo Olaide of OSIWA, Edetaen Ojo of MRA, his colleagues at the National Procurement Watch Platform, Interlink technologies who are the portal developers, this reporter, Dr. Chi Chi Okoye and her colleagues at EU SRIP, Dr. Lilian Ekeanyanwu of TUGAR, the Bureau of Public Procurement and many others.
“This portal which we present to you today has been built with the following features: Online free procurement monitoring training; free legal advice for registered journalists and procurement monitors; information sharing platform; mechanism for online collation and analysis of reports of procurement monitoring, based on a standard check; space for hosting sub-sites for stakeholders; and mass mailing list capability etc
The membership of PPDC Advisory Board currently include: Chief Awosemusi Engr. Emeka Ezeh; DG of the Bureau of Public Procurement; Mr. Debo Adedokun of the Bureau of Public Procurement; Ojo, Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda; and Father John Patrick Ngoyi of Justice and Peace Development Centre.
Others are this THISDAY reporter; Hon Tuggar; Mr. Maxwell Kadiri of Open Society Justice Initiative; Dr. Hussaini Abdu; Country Representative of Action Aid Nigeria; Mr. Auwal Rafsanjani of CISLAC; Hon. Olusegun Akinloye of House Committee on Public Procurement; and Dr. Chi Chi Okoye, Deputy Country Director of EU SRIP
Now it Begins…
Analysts believe that as public office appears more unattractive through greater checks and balances on public spending and procurement, transparency becomes more entrenched and looters look for other safer options.
As this reporter is wont to say, naming and shaming of official looters will be renewed when the Whistle Blowers Bill eventually sails through current legislative hitches, to help check frivolous public procurement processes in the country.
The procurement monitoring portal by PPDC has kick-started a heart-warming process, which has the potential effect of halving and eventually eliminating corruption in official circles; with consequent positive effect on the lives of the angry citizens.
Transparency and accountability may not be far from official and un-official corridors, is where the tenets of the monitoring process are religiously followed. The day shall yet come, when public officials will think twice before dipping greedy fingers in the national till. The end of the tunnel is near.
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