Sen. Andrew Uchendu (APC, Rivers East) says the processes involved in implementing the public procurement law in Nigeria are too long to achieve efficiency.
Uchendu, who is the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Procurement, said this on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt.
He said that the public procurement law was intended to ensure that every Nigerian was given an opportunity to bid for a job without being shortchanged.
“It was drafted to ensure that if a person was not qualified to tender, it would be clear that nobody shortchanged him or her.
“But regrettably, the procedures seemed to be too elongated to make for effectiveness,” he said.
Uchendu said using the procurement law to check corruption and other illicit acts was in order, adding that this aim was, however, being defeated by unnecessary delays.
“ We have been interacting with Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government and had come to the inevitable conclusion that the processes are too long to make for efficiency,’’ he said.
The lawmaker said that most of the operators do not understand what the procurement act was all about while only few agencies attempt to comply with the provisions of the law.
He said that it was expected that whoever was in charge of procurement should have the necessary skills and full knowledge of the law and what the processes were before being given that responsibility.
“I have come across so many accountants who claimed to be procurement officers without the requisite qualification and we have been recommending that they should be given such training as to facilitate and improve the system.
“The Senate Committee is now thinking of proposing a summit where the weaknesses in the current procurement act is reviewed and an amendment be effected.
“This will enable the period to be shortened for greater effectiveness and efficiency to be achieved in the system,” he said.
Uchendu also advocated that better collaboration and cooperation were needed between the executive and legislature to achieve speedy passage of budget.
“I agree that our democracy is emerging, we are learning our ropes and people are establishing different niches.
“Each of the institutions are beginning to say this is our own domain, there should not be trespass and all that.
“A period will come when we would have all learned our lessons and say that this inter agency or arm rivalry should be reduced and better synergy developed,” he said.
The lawmaker, who said that the senate was determined to ensure that the budget was passed as quickly as possible, urged MDAs to provide relevant information to enable the legislature do its work. (NAN)
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