News Investigators/ Director-General(D-G),Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Adebowale Adedokun, has restated the Federal Government’s commitment to eliminating procurement fraud and strengthening transparency across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Mr Adedokun said this in a statement issued by Zira Nagga, BPP’s Head of Press and Public Relations in Abuja on Wednesday.
The D-G, who spoke at the maiden Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Management International Industry Summit in Kaduna, said that fraud constituted a direct attack on public trust and national development.
The three-day summit, which runs from Dec. 2 to Dec. 4 has the theme: “Advancing Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Through Research, Certification and Industry Collaboration”.
It brought together government officials, academics, industry experts and professional bodies to examine strategies for strengthening the nation’s procurement system.
Mr Adedokun, who was represented by Nasir Bello, Director, Civil Infrastructure Department, BPP, commended Kaduna State University and the state Public Procurement Authority for championing the initiative aimed at entrenching value-for-money principles in public expenditure.
He outlined common forms of procurement fraud in Nigeria, including bid rigging, collusion, inflated contracts, ghost projects and falsification of documents.
According to him, these malpractices have financial, social and psychological consequences that erode citizens’ confidence in governance.
Mr Adedokun said that procurement fraud undermined infrastructure delivery and development outcomes, stressing that Nigeria can ot afford to postpone the fight against it.
The D-G highlighted ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening compliance, enhancing price intelligence and professionalising the procurement workforce.
He said that the introduction of digital monitoring tools, especially the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO), enabled the Federal Government to save more than N173 billion between January and June.
Mr Adedokun also identified the National Database of Federal Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers, as well as the institutionalisation of the procurement cadre, as mechanisms designed to reduce discretion and improve accountability.
He explained the Bureau’s four-pillar approach to tackling procurement fraud, which include regulatory strengthening and digitalisation, which covers automation and e-payment integration.
He said that other pillars were capacity building and professional certification, with no fewer than 8,000 officers trained under the World Bank-supported SPESSE programme.
“The third and fourth pillars are collaboration and information sharing with agencies such as the EFCC, ICPC, the Office of the Auditor-General; and civic engagement and whistleblower protection.”
Mr Adedokun said that the summit’s focus on research, certification and collaboration represented the most effective tools for addressing procurement malpractice.
“Research helps us detect evolving fraud patterns; certification builds a community of competent practitioners; collaboration unites government, industry, academia and development partners against procurement abuse,” he said.
He urged all stakeholders including MDAs, professional bodies, the private sector, academia and development partners to remain committed to transparency, ethical conduct and evidence-based reforms.
“The fight against procurement fraud is a fight for Nigeria’s progress. With integrity, innovation and collective resolve, we will build a procurement system our nation can trust,” he added.
NAN
