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BPP Saves N68bn Through Diligence -DG

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15 years ago

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Bureau for Public Pro

curement (BPP) said on Saturday in Lagos that it saved  about N68 billion through the review of the procurement process in 2010.

The Director-General of BPP, Mr Emeka Ezeh said the bureau also recorded 60 per cent to 70 per cent success in the implementation of procurement reforms in the country.

Ezeh told newsmen at the annual retreat for Permanent Secretaries of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Lagos that BPP had set up the legal, political and institutional framework needed to accomplish its mission.

“We are at the level of fine-tuning the implementation and educating actors and those involved in implementing the procurement process.

“We need to educate them more and more with the new change of guards after President Obasanjo’s administration,” he said.

Ezeh said the greatest challenge to procurement reforms in the country was resistance by the elites.

“The elites are many, including religious elites, political elites, contractor elites and others.

“These elites can be further referred to as those who have been benefiting from the old order. They are the greatest challenge to reforms,” Ezeh said.

He stated that the BPP had also developed in-house software that would be a tool in documenting and fast-tracking procurement process.

According to him, ministries, departments and agencies can get their development plan documented within two hours, using the software, instead of the 24 hours to 48 hours it would require manually.

He, however, said that the development would require all those in charge of the procurement processes to have good knowledge of computers.

Ezeh said the budget office was also addressing the servicing of local debts.

“There is provision for servicing of debts owed to local contractors, but most Nigerians are not honest, when you pay them, they go and generate more fake documents in order to get more money.

“The problem in the banking sector has revealed that fraud is not a public sector problem or private sector problem, but a Nigerian problem which should be addressed,” he said.

In his address, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), Prof. Dapo Afolabi instructed all the permanent secretaries to pay attention to the procurement processes taking place in their organisations, as well as the personnel handling procurement matters.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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1 day ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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1 day ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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1 day ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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