PRADIN, HEDA, Others Wage War Against Procurement Corruption in Nigeria
By Fitri Mohammed/ABUJA// In what appears to be a renewed attempt at tackling corruption in public procurement, a group of anti-corruption civil society organizations, CSOs have taken the challenge to address the menace in a new dimension.
The group, made up of four leading CSOs is facilitated by Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative, PRADIN in collaboration with Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ and Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA.
In a statement signed by Mohammed Bougei Attah, the National Coordinator of PRADIN on behalf of the group, and made available to SECURITY MONITOR in Abuja, identified a 2010 study by NGO Network, a national CSO working in the area of information management, identified procurement corruption as responsible for over 70% of total corruption in the public sector in Nigeria. The menace the letter claimed appeared to be on the rise despite several investments in the fight to reduce the problem.
To set in motion practical steps and strategies towards addressing the phenomenon that will assist the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the fight against corruption, key stakeholders have been invited to a one-day Roundtable to discuss, digest the critical issues, and advance a new strategy in tackling the cankerworm.
Some of the major stakeholders invited and grouped into three categories of implementer, regulators and monitors are the Bureau of Public procurement, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply management of Nigeria. Others include the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Strategy Implementation Task Office for the Presidential Executive Order 5 and the Nigeria Society of Engineers.
Slated for Thursday August 24, the event is expected to draw participants from the government, professional bodies and civil society groups in an endeavor to create an avenue for synergy and partnership among stakeholders in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.
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