…Decries Budgetary Ceiling, Seeks Increased Funding
By Mercy Adi
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has saved Nigeria a staggering N1.9 trillion between 2009 and 2023, according to its Director-General, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun. This significant savings was achieved through the review of procurement and verification of contract sums.
Adedokun revealed this information on Monday during the 2024 budget performance and 2025 budget defense held by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement. He emphasized the importance of the Bureau’s Price Intelligence mechanism, which has generated significant savings for the federal government.
“Mr. Chairman, the Bureau’s Price Intelligence mechanism has generated significant savings to the federal government. The prior review of procurements and the verification of contract sums and approach, has resulted in cumulative savings of over N1.9 trillion and this has prevented funds from being diverted into personal pockets,” Adedokun explained.
The breakdown of the contract’s total sum showed that the Bureau saved N46.519 billion in 2009, N216.690 billion in 2010, and N77.652 billion in 2011, among others. Adedokun also highlighted the Bureau’s compliance mechanism, which has contributed to increased revenue generation by ensuring that bidders are up-to-date on their tax payments, pensions, and social security contributions.
Despite the Bureau’s achievements, Adedokun expressed concerns about the budgetary ceiling imposed on the agency. He noted that during budget planning and preparation, the Bureau proposed a total sum of N72,775,250,713, but the Budget Office allocated a ceiling of N3,283,021,838, which is exclusive of personnel costs of N649,558,451.59. Adedokun emphasized that this allocation is inadequate to achieve the Bureau’s objectives.
Speaking On the 2024 budget performance, he said a total sum of N2,234,785,641 was allocated out of which N2,110,061,164 was utilized.
He added that the capital allocation of N289,418,688 for the year was inadequate to achieve any meaningful reforms and address the core mandates that will realize effective contract administration.
He futher added that only the sum of N184,024,690 of the sum for capital expenditure has so far been released.
“We also realize that we need to intensify our audit exercise. It is better to prevent than to prosecute. Under our watch, our strategy is to ensure we prevent the misuse of funds through real-time IT tools in procurement audits,” Adedokun said.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Unyime Idem, acknowledged the Bureau’s concerns and assured that the committee would engage with the appropriation committee to address the funding inadequacies.
“I want to assure you that what you have seen before us is the proposal, so we would engage the committee in charge of appropriation to ensure that those inadequacies in terms of funding are addressed,” Idem said.
Idem emphasized the importance of the BPP in achieving good governance and delivering democracy dividends. He urged the Bureau to leverage technology to enhance its operations and prioritize the upgrade of its digital infrastructure.