Dear Members of the Press,

I am writing to you as a strong voice for the civil society and the beacon of the people to alert you on some recent developments in our procurement system in Nigeria. This step has become necessary in view of glaring abuses and calculatedattempt by those in authority to deceive Nigerians.

Though urgent steps have been taken to connect with relevant authorities on this matter, evidence has shown over the years that some of those at the helm of affairs are collaborators in this fraudulent acts, and are most times guilty of the offences too.

The attached letter was in response to a mail received from the Bureau of Public Procurement on the event of Monday August 23rd and 24th that was published  ONLY on Saturday 21st, a deliberate move to deceive unsuspecting Nigerians about their criminal and illegal activities in collaboration with the World Bank Country Office.

May I therefore rely on your medium to ensure Nigerians are educated about these illegal activities of the two bodies which has brought our country to the present state of high scale corruption in public office, as recorded in the case of the N64.3bn Second Abuja Airport Runway Contract that was revoked based on our report.

Thank you.

Alh. M. J. Aliyu

President, CIPSMN

               Read the Attached Lette Below

August 21, 2010

The Director General

Bureau of Public Procurement

11, Suleiman Barau Street,

Three Arms Zone, Asokoro

Abuja

CC:      The Country Director

The World Bank in Nigeria

Plot 433, Yakubu Gowon Crescent

Asokoro, Abuja

Re: Invitation to a Two-Day Workshop for the Review of Procurement Procedure Manual and Standard Bidding Documents

OUR RESERVATIONS

Thank you for your letter of August 02 reference BPP/DG/2010/486 on the above subject. The delay in responding was informed by the content of our earlier letter, dated April 19, 2010 on the same subject. A copy is attached for your perusal.

As a follow up to your letter, we noticed an advertisement via Thisday Newspaper of Saturday August 21, 2010 with a list of several organizations invited to the workshop scheduled for the 23^rd and 24th. While the Institute would like to collaborate and support relevant intergovernmental Agencies in the areas of procurement or supply chain management, as professionals we are however conscious of the responsibility to advice all stakeholders on issue(s) we feel is/are not in the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.

Based on our adequate knowledge of the Public Procurement Act 2007 as stated in your publication, Sections 6 (1) (3) (a-c) clearly prevents the Bureau from collaborating with all the listed Bodies/Associations and persons without the approval of the National Council on Public Procurement (NCPP). Therefore, your stated objective that “the workshop is to carry out a detailed review of existing Procurement Procedure Manual and Standard Bidding Document” is null and void as any such document that did not receive the approval of the Council is imprudent and illegal. We have accordingly reviewed your invitation to participate in the workshop and believe it is against the Fundamental Principle for Procurement which the Bureau is expected to uphold. In particular, Section 5 of the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007 provides that the Council approve manuals, bidding and any other policy documents for the Bureau before it can be legal.

For the benefit of doubt, the proposed Manual and Bidding Documents is an equivalent of Civil Procedure Rule of the Federal High Court of Nigeria or other professional operational manual that requires the final gazette of the National Assembly.  Therefore the Bureau being the Secretariat of the National Council on Public Procurement cannot produce any such documents or collaborate with any organization and person in the absence of the Council. When the Council is in place, members will identify the relevant organizations responsible for these reviews (if any) and the Chairman of the Council is expected to sign these documents for onward transmission to the National Assembly for gazette.

Finally as advised in our previous letter mentioned above, the most acceptable option in the present circumstances is for the Bureau, the World Bank, relevant government authorities and other stakeholders to take all necessary steps to advise the Federal Government to without further delay inaugurate the Council as a means to avoiding an exercise in futility. It is illegal for Bureau, The World Bank and any other international body to use the document without the Council as basis for granting loan to Nigeria.

While thanking you again for the invitation, please be advised that any action taken outside the above and without the approval of the Council is null and void.

Thank you.

Alh. M. J. Aliyu

President

Copy to:          Nigerian Institute of Architects

                        Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers

                        Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria

                        Nigerian Bar Association

Nigerian Medical Association

Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyor and Valuers

Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors

Certified Institute of Cost management of Nigeria

Nigerian Union of Journalists

Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria

Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria

Association of National Accountants of Nigeria

Nigerian Society of Engineers