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Procurement Act Review: NEFGAD Decries that Over 70% of Public Procurements Done in Bedrooms, Says Amendment of Act Long Overdue

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Procurement Act Review: NEFGAD Decries that Over 70% of Public Procurements Done in Bedrooms, Says Amendment of Act Long Overdue

By: Michael Mike

A public procurement advocacy group, Network for the Actualization of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD) has decried that 70 percent of procurement proceedings are being initiated and concluded in the bedrooms of privileged few in the country, even as it
commended the Federal Government over plan to review the public procurement Act 2007 for possible amendments.

The group in a statement, signed by its head of office, Mr Akingunola Omoniyi and made available to Saturday in Abuja. said President Bola Tinubu has again demonstrated courage and tact in tackling one of the most vicious enemies of the country’s growth and development.

Akingunola stressed that ‘’the current Public Procurement Act enacted about 15 years ago is due for review in line with global best practices and changing operational dynamics in the public contracting sector.”

He noted that the Public Procurement in Nigeria has become an ‘anything goes’ phenomenon whereby everything and anything is possible maintaining that the Public Procurement Act in its current form is creating veneer of legality to blatant procurement illegality.

Read Also: We Must Develop Our Agric Sector To Self-sufficiency, VP Shettima Tells Governors

He said: “The Act as it stands has been so bastardised to such an extent that restricted/selective tendency is now a norm rather than exception with more than 70 percent of procurement proceedings being initiated and concluded in the bedrooms of privileged few on whom the Act placed so much supervisory and regulatory responsibilities. The implication of this dastardly act is that 70 percent of the contract sum ended up under the same bedroom through which the procurement proceedings emanated as against solving critical national developmental problems.”

Akingunola emphasised that the Public Procurement Act is not creating any obstruction or impediment to development as what some self serving elements will want the people to beleif, the only timeline set out by the Procurement Act is the mandatory six weeks newspaper advertisement period for bid solicitation, and the wisdom in this is to promote competitiveness that will ensure economy and value for money, all other timeline and processes are at the discretion of procuring entities.

The statement further emphasised that for the country to be littered with over 11,000 abandoned federal projects alone under a regulated procurement system shows that it is the corrupt few that are now regulating their pockets.

‘’One of the major contributing factor for the bastardization of the procurement system in the country is that successive governments are in the habit of enforcing the Procurement Act in breach by the non constitution of the National Procurement Council and appointing Director General for the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) through the back door of non-competitive selection.

Akingunola admonished president Tinubu not to consider the distractive proposal of some people making the President head of National Procurement Council, noting that presidents all over the world only sit to discuss policies and programmes not with contractors to debate contracts either at weekly Federal Executive Council or as Chairman of a National Procurement Council.

He also advised the government to enslaved stiffer sanctions against rampant mis-procurement particularly reverse-procurement whereby procurement proceedings are initiated and sometimes concluded without cash backing.
End

Procurement Act Review: NEFGAD Decries that Over 70% of Public Procurements Done in Bedrooms, Says Amendment of Act Long Overdue

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Nigeria: No casualties after US bomb rocks Jabu Village in Sokoto

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Nigeria: No casualties after US bomb rocks Jabu Village in Sokoto

By: Our Reporter

Residents of Jabu village in Sokoto state, Northwest Nigeria reported that there are no casualties following US bomb that rock the village on Christmas Day targeting bandits terrorists.

A video surface Monday morning showing some residents carrying heavy metal, which is said to be the bomb shell fired by US into the area.

Although there are no official comments yet to what happened in the Northwest, some residents believed that some targeted areas may have yielded most results.

NEWSng observed that following the reported US military targets on terrorists enclaves in the Northwest, top islamic clerics and certain individuals known to be marking comments in defense of the bandits and Fulani militias activities have been usually quiet.

When ABC NEWS contacted few clerics to speak on the attacks, they decline comments stating that they are also waiting to hear what the government would say with regard to the claimed by US President Trump.

“This involve US and Nigeria. I also heard but I was not there not can establish facts to what happened on Christmas Day in Sokoto. ” One of the cleric, who pleaded not to be mentioned in print said.

Another clerics, Malam Usman Tukur simply said “No comments.”

Also another who refuses to speak at all holds his lips in declining comments.

Nigeria: No casualties after US bomb rocks Jabu Village in Sokoto

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Why US–Nigeria counter-terrorism cooperation remains critical to defeating insurgency

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Why US–Nigeria counter-terrorism cooperation remains critical to defeating insurgency

By: Zagazola Makama

The ongoing United States–Nigeria counter-terrorism operations are critical not only to degrading terrorist networks, but also to helping the international community, particularly the U.S., better understand the scale, complexity and human cost of Nigeria’s long-running war against terrorism.

Nigeria has battled multiple terror and extremist groups for over a decade, with attacks spanning the North-East, North-West and North-Central zones, claiming thousands of lives, displacing millions and overstretching security and humanitarian resources.

Therefore, deeper operational cooperation allows the U.S. to see firsthand the terrain, tactics and evolving threat environment Nigerian forces contend with daily from suicide bombings and IED warfare to cross-border terrorism, banditry and extremist collaboration.

Joint operations provide a clearer picture of what Nigeria is passing through. It is different from reading intelligence reports. When partners operate together, there is a better appreciation of the sacrifices, the operational difficulties and the resilience required to fight terrorism in this environment.

Though, nothing new in what the Nigeria Air Force was already doing but the cooperation, will enhanced intelligence sharing, surveillance, training and technical support, while also improving Nigeria’s capacity to disrupt terrorist logistics, communication and financing networks.

Nigeria brings critical advantages to the partnership, including local knowledge, community structures and long-term operational presence, while the U.S. contributes advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, precision strike support and global counter-terrorism experience.

This synergy will help narrow intelligence gaps, improve early warning systems and strengthen the ability of Nigerian forces to respond to threats more proactively. Beyond military gains, the partnership helps place Nigeria’s security challenges in proper global context, correcting misconceptions that often underestimate the intensity of terrorist violence in the country.

The collaboration helps the U.S. and other international partners understand that Nigeria is not facing isolated incidents but a sustained, multi-front war. That understanding is essential for sustained diplomatic, technical and humanitarian support, rather than the rhetoric being purported about the conflict.

The partnership also sends a strong message to terrorist groups that Nigeria is not isolated in its fight, and that attacks on civilians and security personnel attract international attention and consequences.

However, counter-terrorism cooperation must go beyond kinetic operations. Those executing these operations must put emphasized on the importance of civilian protection, community engagement and post-conflict stabilisation, as lasting peace cannot be achieved through force alone.

Why US–Nigeria counter-terrorism cooperation remains critical to defeating insurgency

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VP Shettima, Zulum Visit Maiduguri Mosque Bomb Blast Victims

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VP Shettima, Zulum Visit Maiduguri Mosque Bomb Blast Victims

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima and The Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, on Friday paid a visit to victims of Wednesday’s bomb blast at a mosque in Maiduguri who are currently receiving treatment at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).

The visit was to sympathise with those injured in the devastating explosion that targeted a mosque in Gamboru Market on Wednesday, December 24. The attack, believed to have been carried out by Boko Haram insurgents, resulted in multiple casualties and injuries.

Speaking to journalists at the hospital, Vice President Shettima, who was accompanied by Governor Zulum, consoled the victims and reiterated the commitment of the President Bola Tinubu administration to ending the threat of terrorism and restoring lasting peace in the country.

“We are here on behalf of the President to sympathise with the victims and reassure the good people of Borno, and by extension the nation, that the government remains unwaveringly committed to securing the lives and property of its citizens,” Zulum said.

He added, “The Governor of Borno has been up and doing, working round the clock to complement the efforts of the Federal Government, and we sincerely appreciate the efforts and investments in the security architecture by the Borno State Government.”

The delegation was briefed by the Director of the Muhammadu Buhari Trauma Centre, who reported that many of the victims had been discharged, others were responding well to treatment, while one remained in critical condition.

VP Shettima, Zulum Visit Maiduguri Mosque Bomb Blast Victims

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