Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja 

As part of efforts to enhance accountability in public procurement, the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) have agreed to collaborate on implementing institutional reforms. 

The move for partnership came shortly after the reappointment Comrade Isa Aremu as Director-General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), by President Bola Tinubu through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume. 

At a meeting with the management of BPP at its headquarters in Abuja on Monday, Aremu outlined the challenges facing his institute’s procurement processes and sought BPP’s expertise to streamline operations.

“We require a comprehensive audit of our procurement system to identify and rectify gaps,” Aremu stated, accompanied by his Technical Assistant on Procurement, Ibrahim Jimoh.  

He also congratulated BPP’s newly appointed Director-General, Adebowale Adedokun, describing his selection as putting a square peg in a square hole.

In his remarks, Adedokun welcomed the engagement as part of the ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s public procurement framework. 

He disclosed that the Federal Government had recently introduced updated review thresholds, monetary limits, and stricter timelines to accelerate project execution. 

According to him, these changes aim to eliminate bottlenecks while maintaining transparency. 

The DG urged MINILS to adopt inclusive procurement practices, emphasising compliance with environmental sustainability standards, gender equity policies, the Disability Protection Act, and the ‘Nigeria First’ initiative. “Public institutions must lead by example in creating equal opportunities for all contractors,” Adedokun stressed.  

Both parties resolved to institutionalize due process mechanisms, aligning with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The collaboration will focus on capacity building, process audits and adopting digitization to minimize human interference in procurement, Adedokun said.  

The meeting concluded with a plan for a joint technical committee to develop an implementation roadmap. 

Meanwhile, MINILS said it is preparing to host a procurement training workshop for its staff next month, while observers suggest this cooperation could become a model for inter-agency governance reforms.  

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