FG to Sanction Procurement Officers, Contractors Over Bloated Contracts

• As concerns continue to mount over the rising cost of governance and projects, the government is taking action
• Contractors and procurement officers found to be involved in any form of project irregularity will face sanctions
• The issue of over-inflated projects has been a recurring decimal in public governance in Nigeria

Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.

As Nigeria intensifies efforts to reform public governance and reduce corruption, the federal government has issued a strong warning to procurement officers over irregularities in project execution.

This comes amid growing concerns about inflated contracts, procurement process abuse, and the misuse of public funds, which have long undermined infrastructure delivery and service efficiency across the country.

The Bureau of Public Procurement has declared that these officers found to be involved in over-inflated projects and contracts will be exposed and sanctioned, especially if found to be involved in inflating contract costs or circumventing due process.

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Speaking over the weekend at a sensitisation workshop for directorate-level procurement officers in Abuja, the Director-General of the Bureau, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, warned the officers that behaving like politicians or colluding with contractors to circumvent the system will no longer be tolerated.

The BPP boss noted that the directive covers all procurement officers in Ministries, Directorates, and Agencies.

He specified that activities ranging from poor specifications, inflated contracts, or giving irregular approvals would be spotted out and punished, the PUNCH reports.

He said;

“If a project is inflated, I will hold you accountable. If a user department drafts specifications and needs and you accept them without proper scrutiny, we will hold you accountable. Procurement is no longer a backdoor activity. You are expected to guide the process professionally and provide evidence of doing so. If the procurement fails, you will answer for it.”

BPP audit uncovers irregularities

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Adedokun also disclosed that BPP audits had uncovered violations such as contract splitting and unauthorised procurements.

He advised the officers to desist from such illegal activities, explaining that public procurements should be about driving national development, transforming society, and delivering value for public funds, not just about awarding contracts.

Adedokun encouraged the officers to carry out their duties diligently, noting that faithful officers with integrity will be protected.

His words;

“BPP will defend procurement officers. If they do the right thing, we will stand by them. But if they compromise, we will be the first to expose them. That is the agreement we have reached with the Head of Service.

Keep in mind that the 2025 National Budget triggered reactions, with several items said to have been inflated.

FG to debar contractors who default

The BPP boss added in his remarks that the federal government is also set to introduce a policy to debar contractors who have a record of failing to deliver on project execution.

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He stressed that all reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda must be handled transparently and efficiently, and urged all stakeholders to play their role in national development.

Recall that the former DG of BPP, Mamman Ahmadu, was asked to resign due to reorganisation efforts by President Bola Tinubu.

FG to amend Public Procurement Act

In related news, Legit.ng reported that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has requested that President Bola Tinubu send in an executive bill to amend the current procurement act.

According to Akpabio, the current act did not give room for the effective execution of the project, with only about 1% required to be paid for project commencement.

He explained that if a contractor only received N5 million for the commencement of a project worth N500 million, such a contractor was more likely to abandon it, hence the current situation of over 14,000 projects across the country.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng