Institute, BPP Partner To Strengthen Transparency In Public Procurement

The Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) have agreed to collaborate on institutional reforms as part of move to enhance accountability and transparency in public procurement, .

The partnership followed a visit by the  director-general of MINILS, Comrade Issa Aremu to BPP headquarters in Abuja on Monday.

At the meeting, Aremu congratulated his BBP counterpart, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, on his appointment and described it as an excellent choice.

The MINILS boss highlighted the challenges facing the institute’s procurement processes and sought BPP’s expertise to streamline operations.

Aremu said, “We require a comprehensive audit of our procurement system to identify and rectify gaps.”

He was accompanied on the visit by the institute’s technical assistant on procurement, Ibrahim Jimoh.

In his response, Adedokun welcomed the engagement and informed his guest that the federal government had introduced updated review thresholds, monetary limits, and stricter timelines to accelerate project execution.

He said the changes aim to eliminate bottlenecks while maintaining transparency.

The BPP DG urged MINILS to adopt inclusive procurement practices and emphasised compliance with environmental sustainability standards, gender equity policies, the Disability Protection Act, and the “Nigeria First” initiative.

“Public institutions must lead by example in creating equal opportunities for all contractors,” Adedokun stressed.

Both agencies resolved to institutionalise due process mechanisms which align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The collaboration will focus on capacity building, process audits, and adopting digitisation to minimise human interference in procurement.

The meeting ended with plans for a joint technical committee to develop an implementation roadmap as MINILS prepares to host a procurement training workshop for its staff next month.

The call for partnership followed the reappointment of Aremu by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.

A veteran labour leader and former vice president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Aremu’s reappointment  underscores the federal government’s commitment to sustaining the institute’s role in labour education and policy development.