NDDC Probe – Group Calls For Inauguration of Public Procurement Council

The Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative (PRADIN), a group of non state actors working in the area of transparent procurement process, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute the National Council on Public Procurement with the aim of stopping the fraudulent procument practices at different Ministries and Parastatal of governments.

The call was in support of the unanimous resolution of the House of Representatives which demanded for the immediate constitution of the NCPP in pursuance of Section 1 of the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007.

This was disclosed in a press statement jointly signed by the group’s National Coordinator, Mohammed B Attah and National Secretary, Barr. Ayo Adebusoye

The group revealed that the various allegations that were made during the probe of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDCC) at the National Assembly is a direct result of this continuing breach of the provisions of the PPA.

“The establishment of the NCPP is central to fighting corruption in Nigeria as the Council has the principal responsibility to sanitize the public sector through full application of the law,” says Attah.

Attah noted that multiple breaches of the Act by NDDC and other MDAs would have been prevented if the regulatory body – the NCPP – had been constituted.

“Further criminal breaches of the PPA include allegations of administrative interference, contracts grabbing and splitting among others.

“These criminal infractions are a direct consequence of the failure of the President to Constitute and inaugurate the NCPP despite repeated calls by PRADIN and the National Assembly over the years, while the Federal Executive Council, FEC, under the leadership of the president, continues to engage in the approval of contracts awarded illegally by the MDAs,” he added.

Attah explained that, “the President must act NOW and inaugurate the NCPP thirteen years after the enactment of the PPA and stop the continuing illegality of our public procurement process with the attendant consequences of corruption, waste of resources, crippling poverty and underdevelopment of an entire region which produces 80 percent of the country’s foreign exchange.

“As research has shown that public procurement account for over 70% of total corruption in MDAs, the inauguration of the NCPP would be a lasting legacy of the President and of prime importance if this administration is actually determined to fight corruption and lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.”