FG saved N1.7tn from blocked procurement loopholes – BPP

The Federal Government says it saved N1.7tn from 2009 to 2022 by clogging loopholes in its procurement process.

The acting Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Olusegun Omotola, revealed this in a presentation when the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, embarked on a one-day fact-finding tour of some government agencies under the supervision of State House, Abuja.

They include the Nigeria Agriculture and Land Development Agency, Bureau of Public Procurement, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure.

Responding to the presentation, he commended the agency for saving the government some N1.7tn from 2009 to 2022 by blocking loopholes that would have been exploited during procurement.

“The Act establishing the Bureau is going through a review process that will make it meet international best practices and reduce corruption, red tape and bureaucracy.

“We will also look at the staff remuneration and why there has not been a review over the years, especially when compared with sister agencies like Debt Management Office whose remuneration and salary structure has been reviewed a couple of times over the years,” the Chief of Staff said in response to a request by the BPP’s acting DG.

The State House Media & Publicity Department revealed this in a statement signed Thursday titled, ‘Chief of Staff to the President tours agencies under State House, says 2025 budget will be based on needs assessment.’

During the tour, Gbajabiamila said the 2025 budget for State House agencies will be based on a thorough needs assessment to ensure that funding allocated to agencies is based on actual requirements.

He said, “In any country, resources are limited. For us, it is about prioritising. Where are we so far? What have the agencies done? How have they measured up to their mandates and how important are their mandates in terms of the vision of this administration and the Renewed Hope Agenda?

“A lot of agencies are not properly funded. Do we merge some of these agencies, or do we scrap some? I’m not talking about the State House agencies. In 2025, we are not going to budget in a vacuum. We will budget based on needs assessment.”

Earlier, in separate interactions with agency heads and staff, the chief of staff pledged that the Presidency would ensure better welfare and working conditions for staff within the agencies under the supervision of the State House.

He urged the staff members of these agencies to embrace innovation, excellence and professionalism while supporting their chief executives to succeed.

Gbajabiamila also emphasised the importance of transparency in the procurement process, which is critical to upholding the administration’s commitment to good governance and accountability.

Addressing the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Gbajabiamila commended the agency for remitting N1tn proceeds to the Federal Government since 1999 and emphasised the need for improvement.

“We are ready to work with you to make you achieve your mandate optimally,” he assured.

BPE’s Director-General, Ayodeji Gbeleyi, disclosed that the agency had received N93.4bn from privatisation projects in the first and second quarters of 2024. However, this fell short of the revised expected revenue of N259.7bn.