The Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission,
NDDC, Prof Nelson Brambaifa, has said the Commission will continue to
follow the proper public procurement procedures to ensure that its funds
are applied judiciously for development purposes.
Prof Brambaifa stated this at the opening of a one-week workshop for the
Commission’s executive management and directors at the Golden Tulip Hotel
in Port Harcourt.
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer said that the Commission’s mandate
included delivering services that give full value for money, noting that it
was necessary for the management to be prudent in its efforts to drive
development in the Niger Delta region.
Prof Brambaifa said that the workshop on the procurement processes would
impact positively on the workings of the NDDC as it relates to public
procurement and the management of funds for the interventionist agency.
He remarked: “Our goal is clear; we want everyone to be conversant with the
procurement process because it is not something that should be left for
only procurement officers. The experts have made it simple for us to
understand the issues in procurement.
“I have no doubt that someday we will fully integrate the electronic data
management into our procurement system. We will adopt the electronic
platform to enhance the efficiency and transparency of our processes.”
The NDDC boss said that it was important that the Commission’s staff fully
understand the procurement process to ensure that funds meant for
development projects and programmes were used judiciously.
The NDDC Director for Procurement, Engr. Theophilus Alagoa, explained that
the training was organised to enlighten officers of the Commission to know
their roles in the procurement process.
He said: “Before now, procurement is seen as the responsibility of only
those in the procurement unit of the Commission. The fact is that
procurement is for every officer in NDDC and they have roles and
responsibilities as specified in the Procurement Act 2007.”
He said further: “We want NDDC staff to wake up to their responsibilities
by arming them with knowledge. We noticed that a lot of people don’t know
their roles. In fact, every department in NDDC has the power to procure
for itself. The procurement unit is only there to ensure compliance with
the Public Procurement Act.”
The Chief Executive Officer of Tabriz Procurement Solutions Ltd, Engr.
Emeka Ezeh, who facilitated the workshop, said that training on the
processes of public procurement was very crucial for development agencies
like the NDDC because of the enormous responsibilities they were saddled
with.
He emphasized the need for government agencies and departments to imbibe
the culture of proper public procurement, noting that it was important that
public procurement in the NDDC was done in the right way. We believe that
when the NDDC and other key Federal Government agencies adopt this culture,
it will go a long way to ensure that there is value for money in service
delivery.
Engr. Ezeh said the workshop was necessary to remind directors of NDDC of
their responsibilities and the need for them to always adhere to the
guidelines set up by law to ensure that public funds in their custody were
expended judiciously according to the laid down rules.
He observed: “To deliver on its mandate, the NDDC needs to procure
according to the laws because the use of public funds is regulated by
laws.”
*Charles Obi Odili*
Director, Corporate Affairs.