From THOMAS ADEJO, Kaduna
THE Federal Government has been accused
of flagrant violation of the 2007 Public Procurement Act, otherwise
known as Due Process.
National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress
(ADC) Chief Anayo Arinze who made the allegation during a press
briefing in Kaduna, said eight months after President Umaru Musa
Yar’Adua signed the Act into law, it is yet to be in force.
The Public Procurement Act 2007 established the National Council on
Public Procurement (NCPP) and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP)
as the regulatory authorities responsible for the monitoring and
oversight after procurement.
The Act also harmonises the existing government policies and
practices by regulating, setting standards and developing the legal
framework and professional capacity for public procurement in the
country.
ADC spokesman stated that since the Act was signed into law, members
of the NCPP is yet to be constituted while both the Federal
Government, its agencies and parastatals are busy awarding contracts
without following Due Process.
Anayo also said that to worsen the matter, the present
Director-General of the National Council on Public Procurement,
Engineer Emeka Muoma Eze who was arbitrarily appointed is still on
acting position eight months after his appointment.
The regulations of the Nigeria’s public service, according to
African Democratic Party (ADC) do not allow anybody to stay on
acting capacity for more than six months.
He pointed out that since due process has not been followed in all
the contracts awarded by the Federal Government, parastatals and
ministries, such contracts should be stopped.
“We thought President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is an apostle of due
process unfortunately, this government is doing things that are far
from the reality,” Anayo declared.
According to him, ADC was gladdened when the Public Procurement Act
was endorsed by the president on June 4, 2007 saying, however, that
“we saw his endorsement of the Act at the time as diversionary as we
have been vindicated by the prevailing circumstances.”
He therefore advised President Yar’Adua to, as a matter of urgency
inaugurate the National Council of Public Procurement and make
adequate arrangement for the appointment of a substantive director
general of the Bureau for Public Procurement “if his crusade for
adherence to rule of law and due process would have any meaning at
local and international levels.”
“While we do not want to be dragged into the controversy, we urged
the president to insist on strict adherence to the provisions of the
law,” Anayo Arinze stressed.
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