News

Reps Commences Process To Amend CIPSMN Act 2007

Published

4 months ago

July 16, 2024

By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has started the process of amendment of “A Bill For an Act To Amend The Chartered Institute of Purchasing And Supply Management of Nigeria Act, 2007 To be In Tandem With What Obtains In Procurement Professional Practice Across The Globe And For Related Matters ( HR. 346/2924)”.

Declaring the session open, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, said the public hearing reinforces the dedication of the House to an open, participatory and consultative parliament as enumerated significantly in the Legislative Agenda and demonstrated in the recent open NASS Week organized to interface with the masses of our country.

The Speaker who was represented by the House Leader, Rep. Julius Ihonvbare, said that public hearing is a key legislative process put in place by the parliament to provide relevant stakeholders and other members of the public a robust window to be part of the parliamentary practice. In so doing, your views, feelings and aspirations are captured in the legislative framework to guarantee better legal outputs.

He said: “Effective procurement and supply processes play a vital role in economic growth and development and essentially provoke efficient public service delivery, hence the need to reform the Chartered Institute of Purchase and Supply Management to modernize the profession in line with global standard practice to stimulate enhanced proficiency on the part of the practitioners and to foster greater positive results in public and private governance”.

Giving his submission the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) asked the House not to pass the bill seeking to amend the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria, as the amendment being sought will largely bring the institute in conflict with the mandate of the Bureau.

Representative of the Director General of BPP, who is the Director of Civil Infrastructure, Nasir Bello said allowing the amendment being sought by the bill will bring the institute in conflict with the mandate of the Bureau.

Bello said having reviewed the Bill, the Bureau, is of the view that allowing the amendment to section 1(c) which seeks to “(c) providing training, education and examination of persons desiring to become professional procures as well as procurement auditors according to the provisions of the Act whether in Nigeria or abroad” will bring it in conflict with section 5(k) of the Public Procurement Act.

In addition, he said amending section 12 as contained in the amendment bill will also bring it in conflict with global standards and the provision of the Procurement Act, adding that the institute should rather focus on its primary role in relation to purchasing procurement, store, materials, warehouse, logistics management or procurement chain management in Nigeria and other parts of the world.

He said: “It should not be allowed to delve into function functions of the Bureau in relation to procurement and Public procurement in particular. In carrying out its mandate as stipulated in Section 5 (k) of the PPA, the Bureau has several higher institutions of learning handling courses on Procurement. The institute may change its name but the scope of its mandate should remain, as it is contained in its extant law.

“Notwithstanding the foregoing, should the House be inclined towards allowing the proposed amendment (without the Bureau necessarily conceding). The Bureau wishes to draw attention to the provision of Section 5(s) of the PPA which vests in the Bureau as the Regulator of Public Procurement in Nigeria, the mandate to co-ordinate relevant training programs to build institutional capacity”.

The Director further stated that the provision of the intended training by the Institute, especially in the area of Public Procurement, must be co-ordinated by the Bureau, as the regulatory Agency for Public procurement in Nigeria.

According to him, the PPA, 2007 allows the National Council on Public Procurement and the Bureau of Public Procurement as the Regulatory Authorities responsible for the monitoring and oversight of Public Procurement, harmonizing the existing Government policies and practices by regulating, setting standards and developing the Legal framework and professional capacity for Public Procurement in Nigeria; and other related matters.

Bello explained that the Act is to remove all impediments that had hitherto prevented effective and efficient management of public procurement in Nigeria including the private sector, adding that some of the major impediments included lack of competition and transparency, non-publication of contract opportunities, non-prior disclosure of rules to be used in the selection process, lack of standard bidding documents and setting practice guidelines for procurement practitioners, allow free entry and exist and align with global best practices in line with the UNCITRAL Model Law through multi- stakeholder engagement.

He added that the world has moved onto specialization and sector-based professionalization of public procurement. We now have within the same country or across different continents provisions for specialized services and their co-existence.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman, House Committee on Public Procurement, Rep. Unyime Idem said the bill is priority bill because of the important role it has played in shaping professionals in the field of purchasing and supply chain management in Nigeria and the development of high standard professional skill, ability and integrity among all those engaged in procurement practice.

He said the House committee was committed on Public Procurement to upholding the legal and institutional framework for the enthronement of transparency, accountability, value for money and efficiency in the procurement of works, goods and services within Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and Parastatals as stipulated in the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

He said Strict adherence and due process compliance with the PPA, 2007 is mandatory for all MDAs, to avoid legal repercussions and ensure the efficient and ethical utilization of public resources.

Ends

News

NECO accredits more foreign schools for SSCE, BECE

Published

1 hour ago

November 24, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has given accreditation to more foreign schools to write the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The Acting Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani, disclosed this in a statement.

The newly accredited schools are in Niger Republic and Equatorial Guinea.

“NECO Accreditation Team visited the Schools to assess their readiness to write the SSCE and BECE.

“The Accreditation Team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls and sport facilities to determine their adequacy and suitability for NECO Examinations.

“After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and full BECE accreditation status,” the statement said.

The statement added that the accreditation of additional foreign schools is a testament to NECO’s commitment to providing quality education and assessment beyond the shores of Nigeria.

“With its expanding global presence, NECO is poised to become a leading examination body in Africa, offering opportunities for students worldwide to benefits from its expertise, thus contributing to the advancement of education in Africa and beyond.”

In another development, the statement disclosed that candidates are participating in the on-going NECO SSCE External in Diffa, Niger Republic.

“The UNHCR School, Diffa, Niger Republic is the first NECO SSCE External Centre outside Nigeria.”

NECO examinations are now written by candidates in Benin Republic, Togo, Cote’ d’Ivoire, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabia.

News

Guardiola suffers worst defeat of career as Tottenham hammer Man City 4-0

Published

2 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, suffered the worst defeat of his managerial career as they lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night.

The Premier League champions were already on a run of four consecutive defeats ahead of the visit of the North London side.

James Maddison scored twice in the first half to set Spurs on their way to a sensational win.

Pedro Porro drilled in a third, before Brennan Johnson got on the scoresheet late in the game.

The result leaves City in second place with 23 points. They could go eight points behind Liverpool by the end of this Game Week.

Guardiola takes his men to Anfield next weekend.

News

FUOYE Re-Marks Exam Papers of Student Failed By Lecturer Over Sex-for-Grade Scandal, Secures Justice

Published

2 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, has cleared a female student, Ramota Olahanloye, to graduate following the re-marking of her final-year examination scripts.

Olahanloye had alleged that a lecturer, Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia, demanded sexual favours from her, and when she declined, he deliberately failed her in two final-year courses.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Wole Balogun, the university confirmed that Olahanloye’s allegations were investigated, and her scripts were re-marked.

“The young lady’s scripts were re-marked, and she performed fairly better than the scores initially awarded by Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia,” the statement read.

According to Balogun, the university management approved Olahanloye’s revised results, which qualified her for graduation.

“The university management has given executive approval for her results to be processed. She has since commenced her final clearance from relevant units of the university,” the statement added.

Balogun also disclosed that Agbegbedia had been sanctioned by the institution for his misconduct.

Olahanloye expressed her joy over the resolution of the case, saying, “I am happy that I have gotten justice, and I really appreciate the university Vice-Chancellor for setting up the committee that investigated the matter.

“I was shown my entire results, including the graduation list with my name on it. I have started my clearance as a graduating student of the university, and I am truly happy.”

Her father, Rasaki Olahanloye, also lauded the university for its commitment to justice.

“I can confirm to the world that FUOYE has served justice to my daughter. I was shown her upgraded results after her scripts were re-marked, and it is clear that she passed.

“The university fulfilled its promise to ensure fairness, and I appreciate the VC, Prof. Sunday Fasina, and the committee members for ensuring my daughter gets justice,” he said.