Victor Edozie, Port Harcourt
The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has said the Commission is committed to complying with the tenets of the Public Procurement Act in project delivery.
Ogbuku, who stated this in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during a Capacity Building Training on Public Procurement for NDDC Executive Management and Directors on Tuesday said it was necessary to ensure management staff understand the details of the procurement process.
The Managing Director noted that the Commission’s contract award letter was digitised to prevent the circulation of fake award letters, acknowledging that many directors and service providers had been in trouble with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in the past due to fake or incorrect documentation.
Ogbuku stated that the NDDC introduced the E-procurement system to combat corruption and promote accountability, expressing optimism that the digitisation of the procurement process was the right step to limit human error and lengthy manual processes.
According to the NDDC boss, the Commission had come of age and must adhere to the government’s rules and policies to enhance the region’s development.
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer enjoined directors to follow the rules in their procurement plans and asked them to be meticulous in their requests in accordance with their procurement plans.
Ogbuku maintained that every Director should have a good understanding of the procurement process, saying that proposals from vendors should be scrutinised in line with the order of priority.
He insisted that procurement plans must align with the region’s needs assessment, stating that the Commission’s vision and direction vary each year in line with that assessment. He further stated that procurement demands must align with the procurement plan, which is based on the annual budget.
Ogbuku told Directors that there was a need for sacrifice in service, which entails being prudent in the management of public funds.
In his remarks, the NDDC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, stressed the importance of capacity building for government officials in managing public funds.
The NDDC Director, Procurement, Dr Chuks Osuji, said the training was aimed at enhancing the knowledge, skills and competencies of procurement professionals, project managers, finance officers and other key stakeholders involved in the procurement process.
Osuji said the NDDC was committed to investing in capacity development initiatives that promote integrity, transparency and excellence in public procurement while supporting effective service delivery and good governance.
The Pioneer Director General, Bureau of Public Procurement, Engr. Emeka Eze, in an overview of Public Procurement in Nigeria, stated that procurement was meant to prevent corruption, not just to fight corruption.
According to him, procurement remains one of the government’s activities prone to corruption.
The facilitator told the directors that it was necessary to play by the rules to avoid being entangled in corrupt practices and subsequent consequences.
Eze insisted that transparency, integrity, openness, fairness, competition, and accountability should guide public procurement.
He commended the NDDC for taking a bold step into E-procurement, describing it as a game-changer.
