The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has said that the absence of the National Council on Public Procurement is aiding and abetting corruption in Nigeria, and has weakened public engagement and involvement in the procurement process being the focal point of corruption in the public service.
This is just as it said, that the absence of the Council has also eroded and relegated to the background its core function of regulating the activities of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) responsible for monitoring and over-sighting public procurement and harmonization of existing government policies and practices.
The HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko who made this known at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, stated that the fight against corruption since the last five years is at best a comedy or circus show.
While calling on the Federal Government to support the relevant anti-corruption bodies through provision of necessary authority and funds to see to the convictions of offenders, he expressed worry that 13 years after the Public Procurement Act was passed and signed into law, the National Council on Public Procurement has not been constituted, thus, contravening section 1 of the Public Procurement Act.
According to him, “The Bureau of Public Procurement as it is presently constituted, is illegal and was done in flagrant disobedience to the provisions of the Public Procurement Act. Specifically, Section 2 (c) of the enabling Act states that the National Council on Public Procurement shall have the powers to appoint Directors of the Bureau for Public Procurement.
“Additionally, section 5 (3), states that the Bureau shall formulate the general policies and guidelines relating to public sector procurement for the approval of the Council. Hence, the absence of a substantive Council has made these very important functions to be at the behest of the Federal Executive Council.
“Believing that the National Council on Public Procurement, which will be made up of men and women of proven integrity will ensure due process in the award of contracts, eliminate corrupt practices in the procurement process, we demand that a proper constitution and inauguration of the Council be put in place to further strengthen and institutionalize the fight against corruption which has become a recurring decimal and a drawback to the development of Nigeria”, he said.
Furthermore, he stated that another area that has promoted corruption in Nigeria is the insensitivity of Nigerian leaders to the plight of the populace who are neglected by the leaders, adding that a good number of Nigerian leaders amass wealth by embezzling money meant for the constituency and they deprive the electorates from benefiting from government.
Onwubiko urged the Nigerian Government to painstakingly support the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other relevant bodies through provision of necessary authority and funds to see to convictions of offenders, so as to promote a more secured environment and also make the economy of the nation to be viable.
He also called on President Buhari to constitute a National Council on Public Procurement and the Governing Board of the National Human Rights commission.
Meanwhile, HURIWA has noted that Northern Elders have a responsibility to address security issues by first playing their roles.
Onwubiko explained that there would have been no Boko haram terrorists, armed Fulani herdsmen and bandits if Northern Elders had lived up to their responsibility as elders who ought to respect the fundamental child rights laws.
He called on them to step up and stop the abuses suffered by kids on the streets as almajiris left out of school to fend for themselves at the risk of brainwashing and spectacular abuses of their human rights and dignity.
