•David Umahi
The federal government has stated that performing contractors handling the five legacy projects of the Bola Tinubu administration will be arrested and prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Relatively, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) urged Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to move beyond monitoring the award of public contracts to tracking whether such contracts ultimately delivered the projects and services promised to Nigerians, reports The Guardian.
Meanwhile, the Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (CCESSA) has appealed to President Tinubu to urgently intervene in insecurity, rising cost of living and the challenges affecting the construction industry.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, during a press conference in Abuja yesterday, emphasised that the affected contractors who collected federal government funds as mobilisation and failed to deliver in equal sums would not be allowed to sabotage the government.
The minister said the negligence was as a result of contractors deciding to prioritise state-owned projects over federal projects despite sufficient mobilisation.
He directed contractors, who had collected funds to return to site or risk recovery of the money using the instrumentality of the anti-corruption agencies who would be brutal.
Director-General, BPP, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, said procurement accountability should not end with determining whether a contract was properly awarded.
According to him, CSOs should also monitor projects from procurement planning and contract award through implementation and service delivery, particularly projects that directly affect communities.
He said public procurement was ultimately about development, noting that every procurement decision could affect hospitals, schools, roads, electricity supply, security, agriculture, employment and the quality of public services available to citizens.
Adedokun said BPP was seeking a more structured partnership with civil society to strengthen transparency, accountability and citizen participation in public procurement.
He proposed the establishment of a BPP-CSO Public Procurement Partnership Framework, which would focus on five areas: capacity building, access to procurement information and data, procurement and project monitoring, reporting and early warning, and citizens’ engagement.
CCESSA, in a communiqué issued at the end of its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and signed by its National President, Dr Ayodeji Adeyemo, and General Secretary, Sunday James, yesterday in Abuja, commended the federal government for its economic reforms and infrastructure development initiatives under the Renewed Hope Agenda (RHA).
The association, however, said the realities confronting workers and their families required urgent and sustained intervention to improve their welfare and protect their livelihoods.
According to CCESSA, the construction and civil engineering industry cannot thrive in an environment where workers, contractors, engineers, technicians and other professionals are exposed to threats to their lives and property.
“We call on the federal government to intensify the fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal violence and other forms of criminality. We also want government to strengthen intelligence gathering, inter-agency coordination and rapid-response capabilities.
“Government should provide adequate security for major infrastructure corridors and construction sites and ensure that communities in areas affected by insecurity are not abandoned to criminal elements,” it said.
