Abuja: An NGO, Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), has called for the digitalisation of procurement processes to enhance accountability and transparency in procurement governance. The PPDC Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Lucy Abagi, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja, at the presentation of the PPDC 2024-2028 Strategy Document, titled: ‘Leveraging Citizen Power for Sustainable Future’.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Abagi stated that civil society organisations (CSOs) should not be the primary drivers of procurement processes, emphasizing that government ownership was crucial. She highlighted the importance of the government providing regular updates on the use of taxpayers’ money and procurement processes. Abagi noted that the PPDC has been supporting government transparency initiatives for the past 22 years.
The NGO’s project, Transparency for Citizen Engagement, aims to leverage citizens’ power for a sustainable future and is being implemented in three states: Kaduna, Ekiti, and Adamawa. The project focuses on enhancing accountability and transparency in the states’ procurement processes. For more transparency in governance, Abagi stressed the need for state procurement audits, contracting processes, and annual reporting on government policies and practices.
Procurement portals have been developed for the three states, with Kaduna and Ekiti efficiently utilizing them. These portals provide detailed information on contractors, contract awards, jurisdictions, and timelines. They also allow citizens to track contractor selection criteria and project monitoring criteria. However, Abagi pointed out that observations revealed gaps in procurement processes despite some progress, with abandoned and poorly executed projects being an issue.
She called for transparency and accountability in government procurement to prevent project duplication and ensure contractor accountability. Furthermore, Abagi urged the government to lead in procurement processes, open government partnerships, and open contracting and funding to build capacity for managing procurement portals.
Also speaking at the event, the Advocacy Officer, West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network, Mr Austin Aigbe, highlighted corruption as the greatest challenge to the Nigerian state, with procurement being a significant loophole. Aigbe emphasized the importance of citizens’ participation in holding the government accountable for procurement fraud, stating that eradicating procurement fraud would result in significant savings for the country.
He cited the example of vehicle procurement where funds were repeatedly allocated but not used, leading to repeated expenditures. According to Aigbe, procurement fraud ultimately leads to public suffering as funds intended for public projects are diverted. He called on Nigerians to actively follow the procurement process and hold the government accountable through the PPDC strategy and online portals.