Tinubu urged to shut door against treasury looters

The Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development, a public procurement advocacy group, has cautioned President Bola Tinubu over his recent directive for an amendment of the public procurement Act 2007.

President Bola Tinubu gave the order during the Federal Executive Council meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday.

He said the decision was informed by the need to align project costs with the budget heads and avoid augmentation after the award of contracts.

Reacting in a statement signed by its head of office, Mr Akingunola Omoniyi in Abuja on Friday, the group advised the president against taking the advice of some tendencies in and outside the government, who it said, was looking for easier access to the nation’s treasury in order to perpetrate their illicit financial transactions.

According to the statement, the intelligence at the group’s disposal showed that President Tinubu took the decision following “the advice from some people who are hell-bent on wrecking irreparable havoc on the country’s treasury”.

The statement said, “Section 18 c, d and e of the Public Procurement Act 2007 provides a structured and transparent framework that helps to prepare analysis of cost implication for proposed public projects for accountability and fairness in the allocation of public funds.

“The Act sufficiently imposed stringent guidelines on projects costing against undue variations; this is one of the core mandates of the Public Procurement Act serving as a safeguard against mismanagement and corruption’” .

“Hence, taking away this critical organ will definitely open the door to corrupt elements for arbitrary adjustments and excessive cost overruns, which would undermine the integrity of public procurement processes by delivering more money into private pockets through endless and frivolous augmentation.”

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