The 2025 US fiscal Transparency Report alleging lack of transparency in public procurement and, by extension, categorising Nigeria among the 32 African countries without fiscal policy should be totally rejected.
The US report did not reflect the current realities in the public procurement ecosystem in Nigeria, particularly the reforms initiated by the federal government to institutionalise transparency and accountability in public procurement contracting in Nigeria.
To be sure, Nigeria is among the top five African countries with sound public procurement frameworks and/or regimes. For instance, recent reforms by the regulatory agency- the Bureau of Public Procurement [BPP], discouraging the use of selective tendering as against the default methods of procurement shows the determination to cut abuses and open the procurement space for all contractors to participate, thereby promoting competition and ensuring transparsncy in public contracting.
Public procurement records – from planning to procurement execution – have been made available on the Open Contracting Portal and it is mandatory for all government agencies to publish their procurement records in the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal [NOCOPO], giving access to civil society organisations and even contractors opportunity to assess records at all times from procurement planning stage to procurement execution.
Significantly, Standard Bidding Documents [SBDs] and the monetary thresholds were recently reviewed to international standards and in alignment with the current economic realities respectively, thus paving the way for women participation in procurement opportunities and small and medium enterprises to fully take advantage of the affirmative procurement opportunities, including initiative for community-based procurement just to mention a few of the ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s public procurement processes.
For the avoidance of doubt and to put the records straight, our procurement models are structured to ensure value for money. It ensures that tax payers money are properly/ judiciously spent for the intended purposes, eliminating underhand dealings as against what was obtainable before the enactment of the Public Procurement Act [PPA] 2007.
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The Bureau of public Procurement for the first time in history is encouraging members of the public to “say something, do something” by reporting any procurement process they deem is not conducted transparently. The BPP has been engaging with the civil society organisations, professional bodies and various stakeholders to check abuses in public contracting in Nigeria.
Our system is robust enough, emphasising transparency, accountability, and promoting openness and access to information by tax payers.
● Musa Fate Musa, fcpp, mcipsmn is a procurement specialist.
