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| Last Updated: Jan 19th, 2012 - 11:25:19 |
Federal Executive Council
FEC decentralises public procurement
Jun 5, 2008, 12:59
| | The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the establishment of procurement departments in all ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government to take over the functions of the Tenders Board Secretariat, which has been scrapped together with the Supplies Division of the Human Resources Department in government agencies.
Briefing the media on the outcome of the council’s meeting which was presided over by Vice President Goodluck Jonathan on June 4 in Abuja, Minister of Information and Communications, John Odey, stated that the establishment of the body, which is to get immediate priority attention, is aimed at harmonising all procurement activities of the Federal Government in line with the Public Procurement Act of 2007.
He disclosed that an organogram and the competences required by the officers who would man the department had already been produced by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, in conjunction with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
The minister listed the functions of the procurement department to include,
• Ensuring due process in the procurement of goods and services as well as the award of contracts in government agencies;
• Maintenance of registers of suppliers /contractors for government agencies and departments;
• Maintenance of a periodically updated price database as may be provided by the Bureau of Public Procurement;
• Ensure strict adherence to all extant regulations and procedures on procurement;
• Liaise with the BPP on matters relating to contract awards;
Explaining further, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Emeka Eze, stated that the department was created to build capacity within the public service in order to ensure that there is efficient and transparent discharge of duties adding that, a set of officers had been trained specifically to man the departments while another set would also be trained by the BPP in conjunction with other agencies of government.
He assured that only those who had the requisite qualification would man the departments and that stringent measures have been put in place to ensure strict monitoring of procurement officers in order to guard against corrupt tendencies and abuse.
Mr. Eze disclosed that the departments are still under the BPP searchlight noting that the stringent law provide that each process should be monitored by two credible people: a professional association that would be relevant to the procurement in question and secondly, a non-governmental organisation that is involved in anti-corruption to make independent reports of their observations to EFCC, ICPC and the Code of Conduct Bureau.
The Minister of Information and Communications also announced council’s approval of the grant of Nigerian citizenship to 119 applicants, who after thorough investigations of the concerned persons by relevant security agencies satisfied the criteria for the granting of Nigerian citizenship.
While citing Chapter 11 Sections 26 and 27 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which provides for the grant of Nigerian citizenship by naturalisation and registration, the minister stated that the council considered and approved the recommendations for the grant of Nigerian citizenship by naturalisation to 70 applicants and the grant of Nigerian citizenship by registration to 49 applicants married to Nigerians who met all the constitutional requirements.
According to him, certificates of naturalisation would be issued to the successful applicants who are expected to meet certain conditions within 12 months of receipt of their notification.
He listed the conditions to include swearing to an oath of allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, make declaration as to residence, renounce the citizenship or nationality of any country of which he/she is not a citizen by birth or descent and pay the current prescribed fee of N150, 000 for citizenship by naturalisation and N20, 000 for citizenship by registration.
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