‘How World Bank, Edo Govt, Six Varsities Kicked Off Procurement Training in Nigeria’

*Edo students link national quiz glory to education reforms, share success storyThe Managing Director of the Edo State Public Procurement Agency, Henry Idogun, has noted that the World Bank working with the Edo State Government and other institutions pioneered the mounting of procurement programmes across six Nigerian universities.

Idogun, who spoke with journalists in Benin City, noted that the programme was instituted after it came to light that there was no formal academic programme in Nigerian universities to build local capacity on procurement.

According to him, “Before, there was no University in Nigeria that offered Procurement as a course. Recently, about two or three years ago, the World Bank realised that there is inadequate procurement capacity in the country and started a programme in partnership with the Nigeria Universities Commission where they now want to run procurement courses in six selected universities.

“In fact, these universities were competitively selected. The one in the South-South is the University of Benin. When they wanted to start, they didn’t have resource persons. And the World Bank directed them to go and collaborate with our agency. Up till this moment, we act as resource persons to them.

“The progress they have made is well applauded by the World Bank which has also commended our commitment and support to the centre.”
He noted that the development was part of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration’s drive to entrench transparency and accountability in public procurement in the state, which has received international and national accolades.

Meanwhile, Edo students from Anglican Girls Grammar School (AGGS), Benin City, who represented the state at the just-concluded national quiz competition sponsored by MTN Foundation, have attributed their remarkable and outstanding performance in the highly competitive national quiz contest to the transformative education reforms implemented by Obaseki.

The 15-year-old secondary school students, including Theresa John Parkson, Benita Omosefe Omonzejele, and Best Osasogie Edobor, brought pride to their school and state after outperforming schools from across the country to clinch the second position at the 2023 MTN Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP) Quiz Competition.

The trio had earlier emerged as the best performers in the South-South region, securing their spot to represent the region in the quiz tourney, competing among the six best schools from the 36 States of the Country at the finale recently held in Abuja.

Speaking to journalists in Benin City after their successful outing, Best Osasogie, the leaders of the team hailed the governor for prioritising investment in education, noting that the government’s digital teaching contributed immensely to their success at the national competition.

According to her, their impressive outing was a reflection of the dedication and commitment of both the students and their teachers, who have embraced the new educational paradigm introduced by  Obaseki with a focus on enhancing the quality of teaching, providing modern learning facilities, and promoting innovative teaching methods.

She said, “The reforms by the Governor have raised the bar for education in Edo State, ensuring that we receive a quality education that is on par with international standards.

” I am especially impressed with the digital teaching methods across schools in the State and immensely grateful to the governor for his transformative initiatives, which have enabled us to compete and achieve outstanding results at the national level.”

Sharing the story of their journey, Omosefe Omonzejele said, “Though the journey was challenging, stressful, and tough, we are glad that the sleepless nights finally paid off. We had an impressive outing but we are confident to do even better in future competitions.”

She added, “Governor Obaseki’s education reforms have been instrumental in shaping our educational journey and preparing us for this national quiz competition. The emphasis on digital teaching methods, access to educational resources, and the overall improvement in the education sector have laid the foundation for our success. We are grateful to the governor for prioritising education and investing in our future.”

The education sector in Edo State has undergone a significant transformation under the Obaseki-led government with a total overhaul and massive improvement in the overall system.