Group Threatens to Lead Protest Against ‘Illegal’ Amendment of Procurement Act

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The federal government has been warned against toeing the path of seeking amendments to the Public Procurement Act 2007 without stakeholders and citizens’ input as provided by relevant laws and due legislative process.

Issuing the warning in Abuja in a statement yesterday, the Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD), a public procurement advocacy group, threatened to mobilise citizens and stakeholders to protest any amendment that fall short of constitutional provisions and necessary legislative guidelines.

The group in the statement signed by its Head of Office, Mr. Omoniyi Akingunola,  said it received from reliable authority that some elements within the system had perfected plans to hurriedly smuggle suffocating  and self-serving provisions as amendments to the act.

 It said it was also aware of timeline clandestinely allotted to the amendment processes with blatant disregard to stakeholders and citizens’ input.

The group further stated that the interested parties already have drafted manuscripts to be handed out to the constituted Public Procurement Act amendment committee and the National Assembly with no regard to citizens and stakeholders’ input.

The group however said it has nothing against the amendment of the Public Procurement Act which it said was long overdue, but insisted that the right and due process of amendment must be followed as stated in the Nigerian constitution.

This due process, it said, includes citizens and stakeholders’ engagement and input, through a call for memoranda and public hearing.

The group said it frowned upon a situation whereby for over a month, the only  information in the public regarding proposed amendment to such an important law on public procurement was the inauguration of the  selected amendment committee.

Akingunola said public procurement is the livewire of government and the main channel through which governments serve the people, stressing that it  constitutes over 90 per cent of entire government spending.

He added that hence any legal framework  around its operations must seek the input of people it intends to serve. “The people must have a say in the way and manner they want to be served and catered for,” he stated.