President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s directive that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) must fully comply with established public procurement rules in the award and execution of government contracts, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen transparency and accountability in governance.
The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Bola Tinubu, made this known on Thursday in Abuja during the Procurement Day celebration, stressing that the President has continued to demonstrate strong support for procurement reforms while maintaining a strict policy of non-interference in contract processes.
According to him, the administration has prioritised institutional discipline in procurement matters. “Since my resumption as Director-General, Mr. President has extended his absolute and unwavering executive support, characterised by a principled stance of non-interference and strict insistence on compliance,” he said.
The BPP Director-General, Adebowale Adedokun, explained that ongoing reforms are aimed at improving transparency, efficiency, digital systems, and compliance, while also promoting local production and enterprise development. He added that President Tinubu has further mandated that any variation in government contracts must receive prior review and approval from the BPP to prevent cost inflation and abuse.
He noted that the “Nigeria-First” procurement policy has already led to significant savings by prioritising locally assembled vehicles over imported alternatives. The policy has now been extended to cover additional sectors, including textiles, garments, and solar energy equipment, in a bid to deepen local content participation.
Adedokun also said revised approval thresholds have reduced the burden on the Federal Executive Council (FEC), allowing it to concentrate more on strategic governance issues, while procurement responsibilities are now more decentralised to ministerial and parastatal tenders boards as well as accounting officers.
He further disclosed that enforcement mechanisms have been strengthened, with MDAs now required to publish monthly contract awards and quarterly performance reports. A debarment system has also been introduced to bar non-compliant contractors from public contracts.
Additionally, the BPP is deploying price intelligence and benchmarking tools to ensure value for money, alongside collaboration with six universities to enhance procurement training and certification standards.
Former BPP Director-General, Emeka Eze, cautioned that corruption pressures remain despite reforms, urging tougher sanctions and random integrity checks for procurement officials.
