Lawmakers Say N58m Proposed Capital Budget for BPP in 2023 Meagre

Udora Orizu in Abuja

 The House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement yesterday frowned at the N58 million capital allocation in the 2023 budget proposal allocated to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Nasir Ahmed, expressed the displeasure when the BPP appeared before the committee to defend its 2023 proposed budget.

The lawmaker described the amount as ridiculous and unacceptable, adding that the director general must make a case for the BPP in order to correct such anomaly.

He said, “You have to make a case for this budget proposal, this amount is too little to run an agency, even if you are working with the envelope system, the onus is on you to make a case.

“The capital allocation for BPP which is N58 million, the DG we are just complaining about the meagre amount that allocated to the BPP for capital expenditure.

“I believe that for the economic growth of any country, it must have the procurement processes well planned. Now with N58 million as the capital for 2023 budget for BPP, I really don’t understand how the agency that is very important to economic and structural growth of this country can be allocated just a mere amount of N58 million.

“We just complained about N28 million not being enough for surveillance and monitoring of projects. Now, the capital budget has been cut down from last year from N197 million to N58 million in 2023. It is something I believe we should look at it as a committee because it does not make sense.”

A member of the Committee, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, also bemoaned the reduction of the capital expenditure of the BPP from N94 million to N58 million, saying Nigeria would remain the loser with the poor budgeting for the bureau.

Kalu said, “DG, we are worried, but I’m seeing you worried. You are relaxed with N58 million? Do you have an IGR? You have to be meeting relevant stakeholders, including this committee. What is the essence of you staying there and supervising the contracts that runs into millions and you are not comfortable enough to monitor them?

“You are removing fundamental mandate from your budget – project monitoring and procurement audit. You have reduced the amount from last year and this year is coming down to such paltry sum that will not allow you to achieve the mandate for which you were set up. You should be concerned as the driver of this Bureau that the money is too paltry a sum.”

The committee chairman, thereafter ruled that they would sit with their Senate counterpart and see how the budget of the BPP can be increased.