By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
Apparently to avoid any security challenges in the rail transportation sector, the Federal Government has approved the sum of N1,208,335,464.60, inclusive of 7.5% tax for the supply, deployment, installation, testing and commissioning of security equipment for seven railway stations.
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi revealed the approval to State House Correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja Wednesday.
He said the Council in its wisdom approved the money for the supply, deployment, installation, testing and commissioning of security equipment for seven railway stations because of there importance.
The stations are mainly Idu, Rigasa, Jere, Kubwa, Kaduna and Kano in favour of Messrs Avonics Services Nigeria Limited, with a completion period of 12 months.
In another development, the Director, General for Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP), Mamman Ahmadu, said Council has approved the sum of N1.6 billion for e-government procurement.
He explained: “E-government procurement has the potential of improving procurement process, eliminate corruption and reduce the leak time in the procurement process itself.
“There have been a lot of complaints about the long time it takes to go through the due process. With the establishment of this, we will reduce that time.
“It also removes subjectivity from the process. There have been lots of complaints about subjectivity in the approval process, that will be dealt with squarely when it is eventually launched.
“E-government procurement is a global trend and from the research carried out by the World Bank, it had been established that countries that have taken off with e-government procurement have witnessed exponential economic growth and and they have stimulated ICT in those countries.
“It will reduce corruption to the barest minimum because it will reduce the human interface within the process”, he concluded.
