The member representing Eket/Onna/Esit-Eket/Ibeno Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Okpolupm Etteh, has harped on the urgent need to amend the Public Procurement Act 2007.
According to him, such amendment would enhance effective governance and ensure transparency in Nigeria’s procurement processes.
In a statement from his media unit on Monday said Etteh, a delegate of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement, made the call during a legislative engagement in Kigali, Rwanda, themed, ‘Public Procurement Law for Effective Legislative Oversight and Compliance Monitoring’.
While calling for an urgent transition to e-procurement system, increased stakeholder engagement and enhanced competition, the Lawmaker advocated for the inauguration of National Council on Public Procurement (NCPP) to oversee and streamline public procurement practices.
He maintained that such would promote transparency, accountability, fairness, efficiency and integrity, which are key principles of global public procurement practice.
Etteh, who is the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on University Education, also sued for stricter penalties for violations of procurement processes.
He said, “The Kigali event afforded us, the entire members of the Committee, the opportunity to critically discuss public procurement practices in Nigeria and evaluate the bidding processes for goods, services, and works.
“The event also exposed us to the intricacies of procurement planning, management, and negotiation with key players and stakeholders in the sector.
“The the Public Procurement Act 2007, if urgently amended, would ensure the effective implementation of public procurement processes and procedures in Nigeria.
“Additionally, I propose the inauguration of the National Council on Public Procurement (NCPP) to oversee and streamline public procurement practices,” he said.
The lawmaker added that during their visit to Rwanda, he and his colleagues engaged officials of the Rwanda Public Procurement Authority (RPPA) to compare procurement practices procedures in Nigeria and Rwanda.
