Abuja — The National Assembly has accused the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) of engaging in underhand dealings in the issuance of certificates of "No Objection" for contracts awarded by procurement entities and failing to conduct the mandatory post-procurement audit of procurement entities. The lawmaker added that if urgent steps are not taken to address proven infractions, the BPP would endanger the public procurement system in the country. "If there is any word that has become a household word in Nigeria, it is either corruption or anti-corruption. For the two years of aggressive fight against corruption, what can we do to reduce corruption?" Among other things, the lawmakers expressed concern that lack of political will on the part of the government to enforce the laws on gas flaring was capable of thwarting government's projected exit date of 2020 to end gas flaring, given the proximity of the timeline.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 11, 2017 03:56 UTC