The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Adedokun Adebowale, has called on procurement officers to follow due process strictly to advance national development. He made the appeal on Thursday while delivering a paper titled "Transforming Public Procurement Systems through Reforms and Innovations for Sustainable Development: A Strategic Playbook" at a capacity-building event in Lagos. The event was organised by the Association of Public Procurement Practitioners of Nigeria. Mr Adebowale stressed that procurement officers must lead by example, warning that non-compliance weakens public trust. He described public procurement as the largest component of government spending and a key driver of development outcomes.
Mr Adebowale said every procurement decision either strengthens public confidence or damages it through flawed processes. He advocated a shift from paper-based compliance to systems focused on service delivery, innovation, and measurable impact. He outlined seven pillars for reform: transparency, integrity, competition, efficiency, digital transformation, professional capacity, and accountability. He cited savings of N1.1 trillion in 11 months—compared to N2.2 trillion over 20 years—attributing the gain to better oversight and price intelligence. Digital transformation, including e-procurement platforms, is central to the plan. Contractor classification by competence is expected to reduce manipulation.
Affirmative procurement policies would reserve 30 per cent of contracts for women, youths, and persons with disabilities. Localisation efforts would prioritise Nigerian-made goods and services. Community-based procurement would involve all 774 local government areas. Mr Adebowale urged collaboration between public and private sectors and called for training in procurement practices. Enforcement would involve anti-corruption agencies. Lagos State Public Procurement Agency Director-General Fatai Onafowote also spoke, highlighting Lagos's progress in e-procurement and environmental sustainability.
Adedokun Adebowale is framing procurement not as bureaucratic routine but as active nation-building—backed by N1.1 trillion in savings over 11 months. That figure alone suggests the scale of waste previously tolerated across government spending. If enforcement matches ambition, Nigerians may finally see contracts awarded for value rather than connections. But without political will to prosecute violations, even the best playbook risks gathering dust.
