http://dailytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=155258:world-bank-team-to-vet-fg-contracts&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8

President Goodluck Jonathan said he will soon set up a desk of World Bank officials in his office to vet all Federal Government contracts irrespective of work done on those contracts by other existing structures.
In an interview with the Tell magazine, published in its current edition dated February 20, Jonathan said this measure was aimed at reducing corruption in the procurement system.

“The process of procurement in the MDAs (ministries, departments and agencies) is also another area we have corruption. We have set up various committees to look into it. We have the Bureau for Public Procurement, BPP, but that has not completely stopped corruption in procurement. We still hear stories. Not long ago, I had to redeploy some directors. We are doing everything to reduce corruption.

“Very soon we will get people from the World Bank to be at my office. For every contract we want to award, irrespective of the structures we have on the ground, they will assess it, so that if a job is supposed to cost N10,000 and it’s awarded for N10,000, the likelihood of that contractor bribing anybody will be reduced. Even if he wants to do public relations, it will be minimal. It will not be like the scandalous thing we have now,” Jonathan said.

The new desk as proposed by the President is apparently going to usurp the responsibilities of the National Council of Public Procurement which the procurement law provides for but which has not been set up since the act was enacted in 2007.

At present, the BPP vets contracts for subsequent approval by the Federal Executive Council even though the law empowers only the yet-to-be-set up council to approve contracts.

When the TELL interviewers cut in to refer to the alleged inflation of Abuja airport road and Kubwa road contracts, the President said, “That is why I want to establish that desk directly in my office. I preside over the council that approves contracts. Before we approve any major contract, it will pass through that desk for further screening so that we know and compare the cost.

“The World Bank will only second some staff to work with us but they will not have control over them. Of course our own people will also join them. It is without prejudice to the BPP; their job will just be to help me have facts and make the best judgment. It is more like an advisory body.

“If the price is not okay, I return it to the BPP to look at it again. It will help us to gradually reduce over-invoicing of major contracts. So we are doing what we are doing to reduce corruption.”

Reacting to the President’s announcement, spokesman for the House of Representatives Zakari Mohammed (PDP, Kwara) said Jonathan “will be contradicting himself because there is Public Procurement Council established by law and the World Bank experts may be paid in hard currency which is another burden on government. I am sure the relevant committees of the House will look at it.”

He added that “what the president is doing amounts to selective compliance” because the House had passed a resolution in the past urging the President to establish the National Council on Public Procurement but he has not done that yet.

What the law says

The Public Procurement Act 2007 provides for the setting up the Bureau for Public Procurement and the National Council for Public Procurement to vet and award all Federal Government contracts, in line with set standards and price thresholds.

Section 2 of the law empowers the council to, among others, “consider, approve and amend the monetary and prior review thresholds for the application of the provisions of this Act by procuring entities consider and approve policies on public procurement.”

Section 4 of the act empowers the BPP to harmonise “existing government policies and practices on public procurement and ensuring probity, accountability and transparency in the procurement process; the establishment of pricing standards and benchmarks; ensuring the application of fair, competitive, transparent. value-for-money standards and practices for the procurement and disposal of public assets and services; and the attainment of transparency, competitiveness, cost effectiveness and professionalism in the public sector procurement system.”

Section 5 says the bureau, “subject to thresholds as may be set by the Council, certify Federal procurement prior to the award of contract; supervise the implementation of established procurement policies; (and) monitor the prices of tendered items and keep a national database of standard prices.”

Furthermore, the bureau shall “formulate the general policies and guidelines relating to public sector procurement for the approval of the council.”

Condemnation trails policy

There was condemnation yesterday over the President’s plan to set up the World Bank contract review desk in his office.

Executive director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said Jonathan’s plan amounted to an indictment of the system and a vote of no confidence on the government.

“This is a self-indictment for the president to say BPP has failed to check corruption in procurement. He refused to inaugurate the National Council on Public Procurement, and he turned Federal Executive Council meeting into contract awarding meeting,” he said.

“If government is serious and interested in transparency in procurement, the President should set up the council. This council is supposed to provide policy direction, but he has failed to inaugurate it even after the National Assembly has passed several motions urging him to do that.

“So the problem is not about setting up a desk but of allowing the law to work. Setting up this desk is an insult to the law. The problem is about interference and the influence that government has on every contract. We are disappointed in this policy, and it shows clearly that the country is not getting it right.

“The President should not contemplate setting up this desk. It is like passing a vote of no confidence on the structures that we have, and passing a vote of no confidence on the whole government.”

Also, spokesman for the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Mr. Osita Okechuckwu, said the establishment of a World Bank desk to vet contracts is unnecessary.

He added that what was needed was the political will on the part of the president to implement the BPP Act 2007.

“The BPP is doing what is humanly possible as enshrined in its enabling act. What we need is the political will on the part of the president to ensure that the provisions in the BPP Act are strictly adhered to. We don’t need any foreign body to do what the BPP is doing,” he said.

He said that one of the major leakages that need to be blocked by the president in the procurement process is payment of contactors at the stipulated time.

Okechukwu added that Nigerians are working and they “don’t need any foreign body to do the work we can successfully do. Jonathan needs to monitor the heads of the agencies properly.”

He said that the country can only accept World Bank support “if they don’t cost Nigeria any dime.”

Attempts to speak to Obadiah Thompet, Senior Communication Specialist, World Bank Nigeria office, was not successful. Thompet did not answer his calls and did not reply to a text message sent to him.

I hope this world bank desk will not just add to the bottlenecks in securing contracts. My mansion in Maitama must be completed on time.

You don score again,GEJ

And so

we said it in beginning NOI is from world bank
naija oil to fund them in times of hardship

@ Bawss1:
I hope this world bank desk will not just add to the bottlenecks in securing contracts. My mansion in Maitama must be completed on time.

Lol what about mine off Maman Nasir st. Asokoro.

gej gain

Can corruption be avoided in procurement? Over inflation of price will always be.All it takes is cooperation with the world bank guys shikena

I don't think the World Bank is inherently less corrupt than locals, all it means is the bribes go out of the country to American fat cats.
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worldßank? o.m.g
i rΣst my case

Gej keeps on running a larger and more expensive govt.

Aha. And some slow-pokes think the World Bank does not supervise our affairs.

world bank team desk? O GOD, WHAT TYPE OF LEADERS ARE THESE? DOES IT MEAN DT THERE* NO NIGERIAN DT CAN DO DT? WHY THIS OVER RELIANCE ON WORLD BANK? IS DT HOW BRAZIL GREW? IS DT HOW CHINA BCM A POWERFUL COUNTRY? IS DT HOW OTHER AFRICAN ECONOMY GREW? WHY ARE WE CHEAPENING OURSELVES? WORLD BANK WILL NEVER HELP US BT MAKE GAIN OUT OF US. PDP BIKO MALIFE!!!

Why do we have a finance ministry, bpe ?

A-ZeD:

Why do we have a finance ministry, bpe ?

Lol. Guess who the Finance Minister is? Our Finance Ministry is basically World Bank.

I think this so-called world bank team is only here to vet world bank initiated/ joint projects with Nigeria and not the 10's of thousands of contracts that are solely Nigeria's. I say this is the case if the team is really an actual Team of current World Bank Employees.

I think some people can't read.

abubello:

President Goodluck Jonathan said he will soon set up a desk of World Bank officials in his office to vet all Federal Government contracts irrespective of work done on those contracts by other existing structures.

The World Bank DOES NOT OFFER COUNTRIES an ALL-CONTRACT-TYPES vetting SERVICE. The World Bank only CONCERNS itself with Contracts it has with countries and Companies.  The World Bank does not play that role. So, the statement suggested there is not accurate. Essentially, what is suggested there is that the world bank will take over the running of Nigeria. That is IMPOSSIBLE and should not be allowed if ever the bank thinks it.

a) World Bank does not fund all our Projects in Nigeria, so it cannot then vet all our projects.

b) World Bank does not offer an ALL Contracts vetting Service -- It does however vet contracts it is involved in.

c) A google search on this so called vetting of contracts reveals Nigerian articles on this and no other references to such an occurrence elsewhere.  there is a World Bank Vocational and Education Training programm, Veterinary projects but no such vetting process as the on suggested here.


All this leads me to believe either someone was misquoted or someone got it wrong. The World Bank does not either offer administrative services to countries and so this sounds like a mis-statement or misrepresentation of what was said. We should look at the Greek example for how the world bank really works with any country.

Oh dear, I did not think I would find myself saying this but for once the President has made a good decision to plug the leaks in the contract award system in Nigeria, with a non Nigerian organisation.  However most Nigerians don't like it because it may mean the end of over invoicing and inflation of Federal government contracts and the compromising  of government officials through bribes.  Nigerians are the world's greatest hypocrites.

Once again:

“Very soon we will get people from the World Bank to be at my office. For every contract we want to award, irrespective of the structures we have on the ground, they will assess it, so that if a job is supposed to cost N10,000 and it’s awarded for N10,000, the likelihood of that contractor bribing anybody will be reduced. Even if he wants to do public relations, it will be minimal. It will not be like the scandalous thing we have now,” Jonathan said.

The new desk as proposed by the President is apparently going to usurp the responsibilities of the National Council of Public Procurement which the procurement law provides for but which has not been set up since the act was enacted in 2007.

At present, the BPP vets contracts for subsequent approval by the Federal Executive Council even though the law empowers only the yet-to-be-set up council to approve contracts.

So who is getting it wrong here? The proverbial horse, or the member of the audience who seems to know more than the actors?

Even if he wants to do public relations, it will be minimal

Lol. There, Jonathan uses the term used by bribe takers and givers alike. Hmm. And he admits it will only minimize corruption, but not eliminate it.

hhahahaha,  Nigeria has been sold back to colonial masters,  u do well GEJ,  may the noose be tighter around your neck for this.

The govt officials kicking against the idea are the ones with plans to inflate contracts and swallow bribes.

Fellow Nigerians are Nigerias worst enemy, if we need to bring in accountants and valuers from abroad to stop the corruption in contract awards, then so be it. GEJ should even go farther and bring in a foreigner to head and rebuild the police force; the person can be from Ghana, SA, UK, US, Israel etc.

Beaf:

The govt officials kicking against the idea are the ones with plans to inflate contracts and swallow bribes.

Fellow Nigerians are Nigerias worst enemy, if we need to bring in accountants and valuers from abroad to stop the corruption in contract awards, then so be it. GEJ should even go farther and bring in a foreigner to head and rebuild the police force; the person can be from Ghana, SA, UK, US, Israel etc.

You forgot bringing in an expatriate to replace GEJ himself. How could that important one skip your mind?

Is it not funny that the biggest bribe scandals involved foreigners? Or were the Siemens officials Nigerians?

logica:

You forgot bringing in an expatriate to replace GEJ himself. How could that important one skip your mind?

If only you haters would admit that GEJ is very bad for your market of ripping the people off.
Bruv, levels don change o! Bribery is going out the door (as will petroleum marketers).

logica:

Is it not funny that the biggest bribe scandals involved foreigners? Or were the Siemens officials Nigerians?

See how you are tripping over your own tongue!
If it wasn't for the same foreigners who jailed people in the US, would you ever have known about the Siemens scandal?

Beaf:

See how you are tripping over your own tongue!
If it wasn't for the same foreigners who jailed people in the US, would you ever have known about the Siemens scandal?

So? "koni" man die, "koni" man bury am. Does that make either of them not "koni" man or what's your point again? I suppose you are tripping over your balls.

^
Nah, I'm just sorta lecturing you. lolz!
If not for foreigners, you wouldn't have heard one word about the Siemens scandal. Nigerians are the country's worst enemy.

In your head eh? I'm glad you used "sorta". It seems megalomania is distorting your perception.
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In any case ignoring pointless banter from this creature, once again as I pointed out most of the biggest instances of corruption in this country (and else where for that matter) are facilitated by these same oyinbos. If that's not clear to anybody it's simply because they barely leave the four corners of their council flats.