Business

Understanding The Ethics Of Public Procurement

Published

17 years ago

October 12, 2009

Speech presented at the second phase of National Sensitisation and Enlightenment Programme on the Public Procurement Act 2007 In Port Harcourt

This sensitisation season marks another phase of our efforts at creating awareness amongst the citizenry on the principles and importance of public procurement. We made progress in this regard last year and we are continuing this year. It is important to continue to tell our people what we need to gain by following procedures in public contracting, so that we can make the much desired social, economic and political progress. I am optimistic, like I do know many of you are that we shall sooner than later take Nigeria to the promised land.

Let me, however, tell again how we got to where we are, so that we can understand the present and probably interpret the future. The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) was established in 2007 following the signing into law of its enabling act by President Umar Musa Yar’Adua. It was the first act to be signed into law by the new president. The Bureau developed through the former office of Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (BMPIU), established in 2001 by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The bureau emerged because of the need to check the open abuse of rules and standards in the award and execution of public contracts in Nigeria. The abuses were evident in over-invoicing, inflation of contract costs, proliferation of white-elephant projects and diversion of public funds through all kinds of manipulations of the contract system. The implication of these lapses in the country’s procurement system over the years was the abandonment of governments projects after large sums of money have been paid out to contractors from public funds. Above all, it brought about endemic corruption, poor service delivery, poverty and denial of social amenities to the people.

The vision of the BPP is to restore transparency, competition, competence, integrity and value for money in the award and execution of public contracts in Nigeria. The BPP, therefore, implements a Procurement Reform Agenda that uses what can be called a Due Process Mechanism to restore and maintain openness, competition, budgetary discipline, optimal costs and efficient projects implementation in a planned and coordinated framework.

The BPP has long being involved in several sensitisation efforts across the country. With the support of the WorId Bank Economic Reform and Governance (ERGP) project, the bureau, has been educating the Nigerian populace on the importance of implementing best procurement practices. There have been and would continue to be newspaper adverts, journal publications, Radio and TV jingles on the activities of the bureau and on details of the public procurement act. The bureau has also been organising conferences so the nation can expand their understanding of the ethics of public procurement. One such conference, an international one, was recently held between June 29th and 30th in Abuja. It was attended by resource persons from across sections of the world and it afforded us an opportunity to compare notes with other countries, so that we can benefit from their procurement experiences and they might also gain from us. The sensitisation, education and public awareness processes are continuing in the interest of establishing best procurement practices consciousness amongst the citizenry. This would eventually lead to a change in attitude and then an attendant development of the countries’ institutions.

For the bureau to achieve its objectives, it has been consistent in insisting on the need for probity, transparency and accountability within its management. The leadership has often emphasised the need to show example by ensuring that what is preached is implemented in the bureau. The bureau’s officials have often been educated on the need not to compromise their integrity in the course of their duties. The bureau hopes to achieve its aim through ensuring forthrightness in its activities and through constant training and retraining of its staff.

As a new policy, the implementation of the Procurement reforms has continued to generate fears, debates and concerns in some quarters. Experience has showed that there are some elites who have a good understanding of what the bureau stands for and are, therefore, ready to help it work. There are also those who genuinely do not understand its modus operandi, which is why the bureau has been painstaking in sensitisation and in creating awareness.

At the same time, there are beneficiaries of the old order, who understands the multiple benefits of the public procurement reform policy but deliberately and out of self and narrow interest, choose to misinform, misrepresent, vilify and condemn the genuine intentions of government with the goal of frustrating the idea. Some politicians are also unrelenting in trying to prevent the proper operations of the bureau, but we have been sustained by the determination of the President Umar Yar’Adua’s anti-corruption stand and are assured of the need to steady our gait in falling in line.

The bureau has commenced its constitutional responsibility to ensure that all the provisions of the Public Procurement Act are strictly followed in the award and execution of all government contracts. Intensive public enlightenment campaigns on procedures in contract award and execution by MDAs and the role of stakeholders including contractors, consultants and, the general public are ongoing through the BPP jingles on radio and television stations. The bureau’s audit monitoring of the budget as constitutionally guaranteed, is also ongoing as part of a holistic attempt at ensuring a successful fiscal policy.

Other than that, the bureau is presently organising workshops for stakeholders in different government ministries and departments. The first was held July 27th and 28th for procurement personnel in the Federal Ministry of Works and- Housing. It is continuing as it would also be done for other ministries. Once again, I welcome us all and wish us all successful interactive session.

Eze is the Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP)

Business

Association Seeks Intervention to Save Domestic Airlines

Published

3 days ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

The Vice Chairman of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and Chairman of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema, has called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the nation’s aviation industry, warning that several domestic airlines may cease operations if the current challenges confronting the sector are not addressed.

Onyema gave the warning at the public presentation of the book, Pathways, Pilgrimage and Destiny: The Biography of Alhaji Muneer Bankole, held in Lagos and was obtained in Port Harcourt, at the weekend.

He described the aviation industry as being highly capital-intensive with relatively low financial returns, stressing that domestic airline operators are grappling with severe economic pressures that threaten their continued existence.

According to him, the industry has reached a critical stage and requires immediate government intervention to avert the collapse of many indigenous carriers.

Onyema warned that unless decisive measures are taken within the next 30 days, several Nigerian airlines could be forced to shut down their operations due to the harsh operating environment.

He also cautioned aviation labour unions against any planned picketing of airlines over the alleged non-remittance of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge, saying such action could disrupt flight operations across the country.

The Air Peace Chairman maintained that if any airline was singled out for industrial action, other domestic operators would stand in solidarity, arguing that labour unions should not be used as instruments for resolving debt-related disputes between airlines and government agencies.

He lamented that more than 50 Nigerian airlines had folded over the years despite the success of many of their promoters in other sectors of the economy, attributing the trend to the difficult business environment in the aviation industry.

While reaffirming the commitment of airline operators to support government revenue generation, Onyema stressed that policies capable of crippling airline operations should be reviewed in the interest of the sector.

He noted that a thriving aviation industry remains critical to national economic growth, employment generation and improved connectivity across the country.

The AON Vice Chairman urged the Federal Government to engage relevant stakeholders and adopt sustainable measures that would strengthen the operational capacity and financial stability of indigenous airlines.

He expressed optimism that with timely policy support and constructive engagement between government and industry stakeholders, the nation’s aviation sector would overcome its current challenges and continue to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s socio-economic development.

King Onunwor

Business

CBN Reforms Impact Consumers As Dollar Card Spending Limits Rise

Published

3 days ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) foreign exchange reforms are beginning to deliver tangible benefits to consumers, as banks expand international spending limits on naira cards amid improved liquidity in the foreign exchange market.

The new limit represents a sharp increase from the $6,000 quarterly cap introduced in November 2025 and is 20-times higher than the $1,000 quarterly limit announced in July 2025.

The move comes as analysts point to a more liquid foreign exchange market following reforms introduced by the CBN over the past three years.

“This reflects the improved liquidity in the foreign exchange market. It also shows the focus of banks in maximising income from card payments,” said Ayokunle Olubunmi, head of Financial Institutions Ratings at Agusto & Co.

Muda Yusuf, chief executive officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), said the increase in card spending limits reflects the significant improvement in liquidity and confidence in Nigeria’s foreign exchange market.

“It’s an indication that the liquidity in the foreign exchange market has improved significantly and we can see that from the stability of the exchange rate. We can also see that reflected in our foreign reserves. All of these things reflect the level of confidence,” Yusuf said.

According to him, businesses and individuals are no longer under pressure to obtain foreign exchange for legitimate transactions, unlike in the past when access to dollars was constrained.

“It also means that citizens and those who use foreign exchange are no longer desperate about foreign exchange usage. Whether you want to use it through your card or access it for international trade, there is no anxiety, there is no pressure and there is no desperation.

All of these things have arisen because the level of confidence in the foreign exchange market and the outlook for the market have been very reassuring,” he said.

Yusuf added that the adjustment of international spending limits by banks demonstrates growing confidence in the sustainability of the foreign exchange market reforms.

“That is why we are seeing all these positive developments around the use of the naira card abroad and the limits that are now being adjusted by banks. It is a very good development and I hope we can sustain it. I am confident we will.”

The increase follows a series of policy changes by the apex bank aimed at deepening the foreign exchange market and improving access to foreign currency for legitimate transactions.

Under the CBN’s Foreign Exchange Manual, Fourth Edition, the maximum tuition fee remittance for Nigerian students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies abroad was raised to $25,000 per semester, from the previous $15,000.

“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.

The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.

Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.

According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.

The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.

Business

WEC: FG Inaugurates Governing Board … As Nigeria Rejoins Council

Published

3 days ago

August 10, 2026

The Tide

Nigeria has rejoined the World Energy Council (WEC) with the inauguration of a National Member Committee and Governing Board to strengthen the country’s participation in global energy policy and investment discussions.

The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.

The Governing Board is chaired by the Chairman of Waltersmith Petroman Oil Ltd., Abdulrazaq Isa, while a former Chief Upstream Investment Officer of NNPC Ltd., Bala Wunti, will serve as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer.

Other members of the board are Prof. Wumi Iledare, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, Mrs Aisha Farida Katagum, Dr Ainojie Irune, Dr Emmanuel Okon, Dr Victor Ekpenyong and Dr Imamuddeen Talba.

The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, who disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday, said the board comprises of experts in energy policy, regulation, investment, operations, research, technology and enterprise development.

Welcoming Nigeria into the council, Wilkinson said the country’s membership would strengthen its contribution to global energy discourse.

Wilkinson noted that “Nigeria has a significant leadership role to play within the global energy community.

“Nigeria has a significant leadership role, and the Member Committee will help bring that expertise and voice onto the world stage at the Riyadh World Energy Congress in April 2027 and beyond.

“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.

“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.

“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.

Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.

The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.

He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.

The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.

“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”

According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.

Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.

Nigeria has been a member of the council with the Nigerian National Committee originally approved and established on April 6, 1960 before its re-establishment and expansion this year.

The renewed membership would provide an independent, technology-neutral platform bringing together government, industry, academia, finance and civil society to address Nigeria’s energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability.