By Dele Ogbodo
The Acting Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) Barr. Olusegun Omotola, on Tuesday stated that to achieve President Bola Tinubu’s strategic mandate in public procurement, there is the need for proper training, harnessing of knowledge and skill set simulation to get good results for national development
Omotola, made the disclosure at the opening ceremony of a two-day strategic training workshop on ‘Public Reform for the Governing Board of the Katsina State Bureau of Public Procurement’ in Abuja, on July 16, 2024 said, it is in the light of strengthening the institutional framework that, the training was organized.
According to him, ‘public procurement is a strategic tool for economic development’, adding that to achieve President Tinubu’s mandate in the area of procurement, there is the need for proper harnessing of knowledge to get good results in work for Nigeria’s development.
He said the core of any procurement reforms are the cardinal principles of modernization, legislative and regulatory framework, strengthening institutional framework and management capacity.
He explained that improvement of procurement operations, market practices and strengthening integrity of procurement systems are core cardinals.
In a statement made available to the media, Mrs. Janet McDickson, the DD, Information and Public Relations and Head, Media – BPP, quoted the DG as saying: “BPP is currently on the path of repositioning itself to improve the procurement operations and market associates as well as strengthening the integrity of public procurement system by supporting fair and competitive practices, stressing the use of technology such as e-procurement system to ensure delivery and value- for- money in public expenditure.”
Omotola said, having members of the Governing Board of the Katsina State BPP is a strategic move by the state Government to equip the strategic apex of the state BPP with relevant knowledge, skills and exposure that will position the state to achieve the dividends of strategic and sustainable public procurement practices in the state.
The Bureau, he said, is happy with the partnership and called on other States Public Procurement regulatory bodies to embrace this type of knowledge exchange to enrich the public procurement practices at sub-national level across the country.
“I expect that at the end of this workshop, the members of the Governing Board of the Katsina State Bureau of Public Procurement would have gained knowledge and useful insight on the Provisions of the Public Procurement Laws and Guidelines, practical tips and practices on the performance of regulatory functions, and entrenching ethical standards and Code of Conduct in public procurement practices”. He pointed out.
The Ag. DG, however, pledged the support of the Office for the Katsina state BPP to succeed.
In a remark, the Director-General of Katsina state BPP, Badamasi Yau Yantumaki, said, the Katsina State Governor, Mallam Dikko Umar Radda, is committed to transparency and accountability, which is aimed at promoting public confidence and trust in the state.
He acknowledged that the state procurement Practices would become a service culture in the State, adding: These are capacity building, domestication of procurement cadre in all government entities with a view to ensure that all government agencies adhere to the provisions of Public Procurement laws in all procurement processes.
He equally seeks for the Ag. DG-BPP’s support to enable Katsina State make positive progress. The Two-days meeting ends today, July 17, 2024.
