The Bureau of Public Procurement has welcomed the Niger Delta Development Commission’s move to overhaul its procurement system through digital technology, describing the shift as a practical step towards greater transparency, efficiency and accountability.
At a sensitisation and training summit in Port Harcourt, the BPP Director-General, Adebowale Adedokun, said public institutions could no longer afford slow, paper-heavy processes if they wanted to cut waste, reduce delays a...
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nd improve service delivery. He argued that procurement sits at the centre of government performance because it shapes how funds are allocated, how projects are delivered and how quickly development reaches communities.
The BPP said the reform fits with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s wider push for a more responsive public sector, and stressed that cooperation between agencies would be vital if the transition to digital operations is to work smoothly.
The NDDC Managing Director, Samuel Ogbuku, said the commission’s training exercise was part of a broader effort to strengthen internal capacity and align with global governance practice. He said the commission was translating the Renewed Hope agenda into action across the Niger Delta and claimed the reforms would help speed up project delivery.
According to the NDDC, the new system is intended to replace manual procurement procedures with an online platform that should make processes more accessible, reduce delays and limit opportunities for corruption. Chuks Osuji, the commission’s Director of Procurement, said the policy change would improve workflow, remove inefficiencies and strengthen accountability. He added that contractors would henceforth be required to engage with the commission through the digital platform, which would also serve as a channel for feedback.
The commission has already begun rolling out the reform through stakeholder workshops in several Niger Delta states, including Delta, Abia and Imo, as part of a region-wide sensitisation drive. The NDDC says the sessions are aimed at equipping contractors, consultants, public officials and other service providers with the skills needed to operate in the new system.
Representatives of contractors and consultants welcomed the initiative, but also urged the commission to address delays in payments for completed work. Maraizu Uche, speaking for service providers, said they were ready to cooperate with the new platform, while calling for a review of the settlement process.
The NDDC says the reforms are about more than technology. In its view, digitisation is a governance measure designed to strengthen public trust, improve the management of public funds and support more reliable delivery across the Niger Delta.
Source: Noah Wire Services
