Road projects: Umahi tasks BPP on ending procurement bottle-necks for timely completion
Minister of Works, David Umahi, has tasked the management of the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, on the need to eliminate bureaucracies that cause delays in public procurement processes for efficient and timely project delivery.
During a meeting held at the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja, the Minister noted that for the works sector to achieve greater prospects in innovation, efficiency and economy in the road infrastructure revolution agenda of the present administration and to best respond to citizens’ yearning for road sector intervention, there must be a deliberate effort to remove all bureaucratic constraints to project evaluation by BPP.
The Minister, in a statement signed by his media aide, Orji U. Orji, said the core mandates of the bureau include fostering accountability, consistency in pricing, effectiveness in contract execution, and value for money, urging them to view delays as one of the greatest inhibitors of the objectives of the Bureau’s establishment.
“We seek closer cooperation and collaboration to enable the ministry to fast-track the delivery of the road infrastructure projects inherited and those initiated by the Renewed Hope administration.
“When we came on board, we insisted on best practices, and we introduced innovations to ensure we give Nigerians enduring road infrastructure that is fit for purpose.
“We therefore need a collaborative resolve to end unnecessary delays in the procurement processes,” he said, pointing out that different procurement methods, including restrictive, selective, and competitive bidding measures, are geared towards achieving value for money and effective service delivery to Nigerians.
On his part, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Adebowale Adedokun, commended the Minister for the purposeful initiatives of the Federal Ministry of Works under his watch and assured him of enhanced synergies with the ministry to achieve the noble objectives of the Renewed Hope administration of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the works sector.
He said, “The interesting thing about you is that you don’t fail in your duty, which I have observed. You start, you end with something, and you’re passionate about what you want to do.
“We are glad when you extended the invitation for us to come here. We know you see BPP as a worthy partner towards ensuring that Mr. President’s objectives in respect of road infrastructure are achieved timely, transparently, and well-accounted for.”
He noted that the works sector is one critical area in the economy, and anything that happens there affects all Nigerians, irrespective of status.
“So we place a serious premium on closely working with you to ensure we deliver on the mandates in a way that value for money, as well as sustainability, is achieved.
“Our partnership with you, Your Excellency, is that the quality of the roads that we see must return to the days when we constructed roads that 25 years later are still intact,” he said.
