Engr. Emeka Eze, Prof. Nelson Brambaifa & Amadi. |
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.
0 Comments
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed on this platform as comments were freely made by each person under his or her own volition or responsibility and were neither suggested nor dictated by the owners of Precious Eze's Blog or any of their contracted staff. So we take no liability whatsoever for such comments.
Please take note!