Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — The Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, has pledged support to collaborate with the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, PCNG, to support Nigeria’s transition to clear energy, reduce poverty and improve cost efficiency in public service delivery.
The Director General, Bureau of Public Procurement, Dr. Adebowale A. Adedokun, while welcoming the Programme Director/CEO of PCNG and his team from the Presidential CNG Initiative in his office in Abuja, emphasized that the BPP plays a crucial role in ensuring that Public Procurement delivers value to all Nigerians. He said that if the BPP fails in its mandate, every sector, such as health, transportation, energy and infrastructure will suffer, ultimately worsening poverty in Nigeria.
Dr. Adedokun said that the collaboration directly supports Nigeria’s first policy of Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, promotes the use of local content and indigenous solutions to address national challenges.
Dr. Adedokun noted that the adoption of Compressed Natural Gas across Public institutions would significantly reduce financial pressure on civil/public servants and Nigerians at large. He proposed special incentives to encourage them to convert their vehicle to CNG, which will help stretch their earnings and businesses and improve their quality of life.
He further reiterated the need for all procurement officers to be professionally trained in public sector procurement practices and not private sector models, with a focus on compliance, professionalism, and timely service delivery.
In his remark, Engr. Micheal Oluwagbemi, the Programme Director and the Chief Executive of Presidential CNG Initiative, thanked the BPP for its openness and leadership. Adding that, their visit is aimed to foster engagement and understanding around procurement frameworks, which is vital to the success of the CNG rollout.
Engr. Oluwagbemi stated that as public awareness of CNG grows, so does the pressure on procurement systems. He said that PCNGI is ready to work hand in hand with BPP to ensure that the transition is impactful and sustainable. He encouraged BPP to lead by example by converting its fleet of vehicles to CNG and promote the transition among its staff.
Dr. Adedokun also called for a tripartite meeting involving the BPP, the National Automotive Design and Development Council, NADDC, and the Presidential CNG Initiative to align policies and coordinate implementation strategies.
He said that the partnership will empower the Bureau to make better-informed procurement decisions when handling requests from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, MDAs.
