The Bureau of Public Procurement on Monday began a two-week training for 250 workers of Federal Government’s parastatal agencies that would ensure an effective delivery of procurement functions to prevent corruption.
The Director-General of BPP, Emeka Ezeh, told participants at the opening ceremony that the objectives of the two-week training were to impart on them the knowledge and understanding of the principles of public procurement.
Ezeh, represented by Adebowale Adedokun, head of programme, said that the event was an industrial- capacity training for those who carry out procurement functions for their respective agencies.
Ezeh said: “Procurement in Nigeria needs professionals to deliver projects at the right time and in the right place. The training will prevent corruption, give practitioners knowledge and practical understanding of the principles of public procurement.’’
The director-general said that the training was necessary because the BPP wanted Nigerians to achieve value for their money as well as equip participants with the knowledge that would significantly improve project delivery.
He urged the participants to improve their skills in procurement saying that would help to reduce the level of abandoned projects across the nation.
The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita, declared the event open.
She said that the training was geared toward her vision of providing requisite knowledge to civil servants that would help them perform their jobs effectively.
Oyo-Ita said that the continuous process of capacity building for officers would enable them perform their functions, solve problems, achieve their vision as well understand developmental challenges of the nation.
In her goodwill message, Cecilia Gayya, the Acting Director-General, Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, commended the organizers for choosing ASCON as the venue for the training.
Gayya assured them that Badagry was peaceful and safe for them and the participants, adding that she would be available to solve any problems concerning their accommodations to ensure that their stay was enjoyable.
On their part, the participants commended the bureau for the training and expressed hope that it would meet their objectives.
Hafsat Hassan from Ministry of Power told the News Agency of Nigeria that procurement processes had its challenges and expressed hope that the training would correct them.
Hassan said: “We hope that the course will help us do the job efficiently. This is the first time I am participating in the training. The notes are bulky but I believe it will be interesting.’’
She said that the knowledge and experience gained in the programme would be put to use to make her job better.
Also Sani Saliu from Bayero University, Kano, said that there were lots of irregularities and bureaucracy despite that there was an Act in place as a guideline.
Sani said that the training would give them full insight into how to tackle such challenges and improve on the work.
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