IN a renewed effort to strengthen transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in Nigeria’s public procurement process, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has reaffirmed its commitment to collaborate with the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) to advance procurement reforms in Nigeria.
This renewed partnership was the outcome of a strategic engagement meeting held at the BPP Headquarters in Aso Villa, Abuja, under the auspices Civil Society Advocacy to Strengthen Anti-Corruption Reforms in Nigeria (CASARN) project.
Welcoming the ANEEJ delegation, the Director-General of BPP, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, acknowledged the vital role of civil society in public oversight, describing CSOs as “the third eye” of government. He pledged the Bureau’s full support for collaborative efforts aimed at deepening procurement reforms.
“We are increasingly inviting CSO partnerships because of their ability to serve as a third eye—an independent voice that helps government understand how things are,” Dr. Adedokun noted.
Reaffirming the Bureau’s dedication to collaboration, Dr. Adedokun made a public commitment on behalf of the entire BPP team and Nigerian citizens, who are the ultimate beneficiaries of public procurement reforms. “On behalf of the staff of BPP and the Nigerian citizens, I commit to working with ANEEJ on this project.”
Speaking on the ANEEJ’s assessment on the compliance of Federal MDAs to the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO), Dr. Adedokun further emphasized the importance of actionable, citizen-focused reporting, noting that public procurement assessments must highlight links to critical issues such as poverty, insecurity, unemployment, and contract mismanagement.
“It is in our interest to be as public as possible. However, the outcomes of your assessment must resonate with citizens. “There has to be a connection between what you are producing and the reality. Let’s find a way of dovetailing the outcomes to reflect issues of insecurity, poverty, unemployment, contract splitting, poor-quality projects, and lack of prioritisation,” he urged. He added that reports must analyse the long-term impact of non-compliance, asking how the economy and society could be affected in five or ten years if the issues raised are not addressed.
He assured the ANEEJ team of the cooperation of key BPP departments, including the External Cooperation Unit, Regulatory and Database Department, ICT Unit managing the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO), and the Public Relations Unit in the implementation of the assessment.
In his remarks, ANEEJ Executive Director, Rev. David Ugolor, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to anti-corruption and procurement reforms. He referenced ANEEJ’s experience monitoring the disbursement of recovered assets—particularly the Abacha loot—for social protection programmes, as an example of how transparency can deliver tangible impact.
“We are familiar with the important work of the BPP, and through this partnership, we aim to strengthen ethical procurement standards and assess compliance across MDAs,” said Rev. Ugolor.
He requested BPP’s support in accessing the backend of the NOCOPO platform to conduct a comprehensive compliance assessment of procurement practices across the 36 states and the FCT. The findings, he stated, will also incorporate stakeholder feedback.
The meeting ended with a strong affirmation of shared commitment “We make this commitment to work with ANEEJ on this project.”
The CASARN project is part of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC II) Programme, implemented by International IDEA with funding from the European Union. The initiative seeks to deepen civil society engagement in strengthening anti-corruption mechanisms across key public institutions in Nigeria.
