By Paul Effiong, Abuja
To ensure effective, efficient and transparent procurement system in Nigeria, the House of Representatives has called for an upward review of the budgetary allocation to the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP.
The House urged the federal government through the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning to immediately review the budgetary allocation of BPP in line with current realities to enable it discharge its mandates.
The lawmakers also mandated its Committee on Public Procurement to conduct a thorough oversight and recommend appropriate measures that would enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the bureau, and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.
This was sequel to a motion of urgent national importance moved during plenary yesterday by Unyime Idem.
In his lead debate, Idem emphasised the need for the attainment of transparency, competitiveness, cost effectiveness, value-for-money and professionalism in the public sector procurement system across the country.
He explained that the Public Procurement Act 2007 established the Bureau of Public Procurement as the regulatory authority responsible for the monitoring and oversight of public procurement, as well as harmonising the existing government policies and practices by regulating, setting standards and developing the legal framework and professional capacity for public procurement in the country.
The House noted that the bureau is empowered to, among other things, oversight over 800 ministries, departments and agencies to ensure the implementation of established procurement policies and due process compliance.
The green chamber also emphasised the need to ensure monitoring and surveillance of federal government procurement procedures and ongoing projects across the six geopolitical zones.
According to the lawmakers, the budgetary allocation for the bureau in the Appropriation Act 2024 is N2,200,000,000 which they said was grossly inadequate to meet the extensive responsibilities of procurement audit, monitoring and surveillance in ministries, departments and agencies in the six geopolitical zones.
