In the ongoing journey to retool Nigeria’s public institutions for accountability and national progress, one agency stands at the intersection of vision and discipline. The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), custodian of procurement due process in the executive arm of government, has, again, raised the bar for transparency. My point of significant reference is a landmark circular dated 17 February 2025.
This directive, signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, is not merely another memo in the corridors of power. It is a policy pivot. A high-stakes call for ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to embrace early planning, professional integrity, and digital transparency in executing the 2025 national budget.
By setting a submission deadline of 14 March 2025 for all MDAs to upload their procurement plans to the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO), the circular affirms what many had long hoped for: that the Nigerian state can be better, if only its systems are taken seriously.
● Procurement planning as a tool for national development
The requirement for MDAs to prepare procurement plans covering capital, recurrent, overhead, and special intervention funds, including Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), is not a bureaucratic ritual. It is the cornerstone of effective governance. Rooted in Sections 16(1)(b) and 18 of the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007, this mandate helps government institutions align their procurement strategies with the actual appropriations passed by the National Assembly.
When procurement is delayed, national development suffers. When it is front-loaded through careful planning, roads get built on time, hospitals get equipment before emergencies overwhelm them, and young Nigerians see evidence of government promises taking shape in concrete form.
But there is more. This circular is not just about timelines and templates. It is about legal obligation. Under Section 22(4) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, updated by the Finance Act 2023, awarding contracts without an approved procurement plan is a criminal offence. The punishment is steep: up to five years imprisonment or a fine of ten million naira. This is how a serious country signals that fiscal indiscipline will no longer be excused as oversight.
● Building on the foundations of due process
The momentum behind this reform is not accidental. It builds on the institutional scaffolding erected since the early 2000s, when President Olusegun Obasanjo established the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (BMPIU) to tackle inflated contracts and shady deals that plagued the public sector.
The transformation of that unit into the BPP gave Nigeria a robust legal framework through the PPA 2007. The latest circular is a continuation of that journey aimed at plugging the loopholes that still allow for contract splitting, manipulated evaluations, and hidden costs that siphon funds away from public purse.
This time, the BPP is putting implementation front and centre. It is no longer enough to have procurement laws that look good on paper. What matters is how government agencies prepare for budget execution and how citizens experience the outcomes. By urging MDAs to begin procurement activities, advertising, bidding, bid evaluations, immediately, the circular is not only encouraging early action but ensuring that contracts are ready for award as soon as funds are released. It is a common-sense solution to an old problem: budget funds arriving in August or September for contracts still stuck in February paperwork.
● Digital transparency and the power of NOCOPO
To be clear, technology is not just a convenience. It is a safeguard. The NOCOPO portal is where the entire country can now see what contracts are being planned, advertised, awarded, and implemented. It is an open window into government business, designed not for secrecy but for sunlight.
All procurement plans must be submitted through NOCOPO. Contract awards must be published monthly. Evaluation reports must be uploaded. MDAs must adopt the revised Standard Bidding Documents available on the BPP website, ensuring consistency and fairness in all public tenders.
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Gone are the days when selective disclosures gave insiders an unfair advantage. In 2025, procurement is moving from the shadows into the spotlight.
To reinforce this shift, the BPP will be auditing MDAs quarterly and refusing to process any requests from agencies that have not submitted procurement records for the previous two years.
This is not punitive. It is purposeful. It is a mechanism for institutional discipline, ensuring that those entrusted with public funds operate within the law and under public scrutiny.
● Professionalism and institutional oversight
Another key element of the reform is the emphasis on professionalism. Each MDA must set up a Procurement Planning Committee (PPC), with the Head of Procurement serving as its secretary. These committees are not decorative. They are the strategic brainboxes that must align procurement goals with national priorities.
In line with the 2017 Service-Wide Circular, only certified procurement officers are permitted to handle procurement functions. This is a critical reform. It ensures that procurement decisions are not made by political appointees or untrained staff members, but by professionals guided by merit, expertise, and the law.
● Combating corruption by design
The logic of this reform is as much ethical as it is procedural. Sections 31 to 33 of the PPA 2007 provide a clear legal basis for competitive bidding and value-for-money assessments. These are not optional ideals. They are mandatory requirements.
MDAs must evaluate bids based on responsiveness, technical competence, and pricing integrity. Tenders Boards must approve all awards. And where violations occur, the BPP will collaborate with the ICPC, EFCC, and other law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute offenders.
Already, the BPP has begun refusing to process procurement submissions that violate due process or are submitted by unauthorised officers.
This is not about creating fear. It is about creating a new normal. A public procurement culture where rules are not negotiable and where transparency is not a public relations gimmick but a structural imperative.
● A shared national duty
The reforms outlined in the 17 February 2025 circular are bold, ambitious, and urgent. They signal a government that wants to get ahead of the curve, not chase after missed deadlines. They present an opportunity for Nigeria to finally close the implementation gap between appropriations and actual delivery.
But the success of this reform cannot rest on the BPP alone. Citizens must take an interest in how their taxes are spent. Civil society must continue to monitor NOCOPO and demand accountability. Contractors must compete fairly, and MDAs must resist the temptation of corner-cutting.
This is how nations are built, not just by policies declared, but by institutions enforced. If Nigeria is to become the Dubai of Africa through best procurement practice, which is the publicly stated dream of the current Director General of the BPP, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, then this is the blueprint. A public procurement system where rules matter, where time is respected, where corruption is a liability, and where service delivery is the final goal.
In this regard, the BPP, through the office of the SGF, has offered more than a circular. It has given the nation a renewed framework of trust. It is time to implement it with courage, discipline, and collective will.
●Sufuyan Ojeifo, MNGE, ANIPR, is publisher/editor-in-chief of THE CONCLAVE online newspaper.
