…APTPI seeks stronger oversight of N68.3tr 2026 budget procurement

The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has disclosed that its ongoing reforms, benchmarking and stricter controls in the public procurement system have saved the Federal Government about N1.5 trillion in 18 months.

Director-General of the Bureau, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the inaugural meeting and official launch of a Civil Society Organisations called
the Advocacy for the Promotion of Transparent Procurement Initiatives (APTPI).

The inaugural meeting with the theme “Promoting Transparency, Value for Money and Accountability in Public Procurement,” focused on strengthening transparency and accountability in the implementation of the N68.3 trillion 2026 budget.

Adedokun said the BPP saved N1.1 trillion in the first 11 months of 2025, while another N400 billion had been saved in the first six months of 2026 through benchmarking and tighter procurement controls.

He said the N1.1 trillion recorded in 11 months was particularly significant when compared with the approximately N2.2 trillion saved through government procurement between 2007 and 2025.

“We needed to adjust to our policies, we needed to adjust to what we’re doing. In 11 months, take N1.1 trillion out of the N2.2 trillion in 20 years. That’s significant,” he said.

According to him, the savings represented funds that could otherwise have been lost from the public coffers but were retained through changes in procurement policies, benchmarking and the introduction of stricter controls.

Giving an update on the 2026 figure, the BPP boss said the agency had already recorded savings of close to N400 billion between January and June.

“Already I’ve clocked close to N400 billion in what would have been lost in the first half of the year up to June, close to N400 billion as a result of benchmarking and putting the right stoppers in naira, in dollars and in euros,” he said.

Adedokun attributed part of the improvement to the digital transformation of the procurement process, saying the BPP had stopped accepting manually submitted documents.

“Already today, nobody sends documents to BPP manually anymore. We won’t accept it. So this can be anywhere now and submit virtually. So this is reducing the opportunity for people to manipulate the processes as we continue,” he said.

He also said the Bureau was tightening the use of selective tendering, urging procuring entities to advertise contracts rather than spend considerable time seeking approval for selective tendering.

The BPP chief said the reforms were not designed to transform the procurement system overnight, stressing that institutional change required gradual implementation, sustained monitoring and greater awareness among procuring entities.

He, however, challenged civil society organisations to extend their scrutiny beyond Federal Government procurement to states and local councils, which, he noted, controlled a significant portion of public funds.

“Have you thought about states? You know, states are taking loans. And I think this, your group should also think well. While we focus on federal, the bulk of the money is at the sub-national level,” he said.

Adedokun disclosed that the Bureau was working towards a National Procurement Strategy that would bring the federal, state and local governments under a common framework based on minimum procurement standards.

He explained that although the three tiers of government were constitutionally independent, there was a need for minimum procurement requirements, particularly where public funds and Federal Government guarantees were involved.

He cited loans obtained from international institutions as an area requiring closer scrutiny, especially where the Federal Government guarantees such borrowing.

“If you are borrowing money from the World Bank, what procurement processes are you adopting? Who is guaranteeing the loan? Federal government,” he said.

The BPP director-general also urged civil society organisations to forge stronger partnerships with the Bureau to deepen transparency and accountability in public procurement.

He said collaboration with professional bodies, development partners and civil society had contributed to the reforms, adding that the Bureau was increasingly gaining the confidence of international partners through professionalisation, capacity building and digital procurement.

Adedokun further disclosed that the BPP had conducted an international competitive bidding exercise entirely online, with bidders from 40 countries participating without physically entering Nigeria.

He said every stage of the exercise was conducted virtually, describing the development as a significant test of the country’s emerging digital procurement system.

At the APTPI meeting, the Secretary to the Board, Ayorinde Dola-Johnson, called for stronger oversight of procurement under the N68.3 trillion 2026 budget.

Dola-Johnson said the scale of the budget, which provides approximately N32.2 trillion for capital expenditure, coupled with its financing requirements, made procurement governance an issue that should command the attention of all stakeholders.

He said the critical question was not merely how much government planned to spend, but how much value Nigerians would derive from such expenditure.

According to him, public procurement remained the point where government policies and budgetary intentions were translated into roads, hospitals, schools, electricity infrastructure, agricultural interventions, digital infrastructure, security equipment and other public services.

He warned that procurement failures could lead to the loss of public resources through inflated prices, poor planning, weak competition, unnecessary variations, abandoned projects, contract splitting and ineffective supervision.

Dola-Johnson said APTPI was established to serve as a bridge among public institutions, citizens, procurement professionals, researchers, development partners and civil society.

He stressed that the organisation was not created to condemn government institutions but to identify problems, understand their causes, generate evidence and promote practical solutions.

“Our approach is therefore one of constructive accountability,” he said, adding that government institutions should be held accountable while recognising the operational, institutional and fiscal pressures confronting public officials.

He said APTPI would focus on procurement planning, budget alignment, project continuity, contract management, capital project monitoring, releases and implementation.

The organisation would also examine whether procurement plans aligned with approved budgets, whether procurement methods were appropriate to the nature and value of contracts, and whether projects were delivered within stipulated time, cost and quality parameters.

Dola-Johnson called for collaboration among the BPP, National Assembly, anti-corruption agencies, Auditor-General, development partners, civil society, private sector and citizens.

He said no single institution could resolve Nigeria’s procurement and governance challenges alone, noting that each stakeholder had a distinct role to play in strengthening accountability.

He assured that APTPI would remain non-partisan, evidence-driven, professionally independent, constructive in engagement and firm on accountability.

“We will not measure our success by the number of institutions we criticise. We will measure our success by the number of procurement problems we help prevent, the quality of reforms we help advance, the amount of information we help make accessible, and ultimately the improvement in value that Nigerians receive from public expenditure,” he said.

Dola-Johnson urged government institutions to regard APTPI as a constructive partner, while appealing to development partners, civil society organisations and the media to support evidence-based procurement governance.

“Every naira committed to public procurement carries a public obligation,” he said, stressing that the organisation’s aspiration was simple: “Public money should deliver public value.”

The inaugural forum marked the formal launch of APTPI, a civil society initiative established to promote transparent, accountable, efficient and value-driven public procurement in Nigeria.

Its areas of focus include independent monitoring, policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, citizen participation, open contracting and procurement risk analysis.