The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN), has declared that compliance with the Public Procurement Law of the State by all stakeholders in public procurement is sacrosanct and non-negotiable.
Mr. Pedro made the declaration in an address delivered on his behalf by a Director of Commercial Law in the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Folashade Thomas-Orogan, who represented him at the Procurement Summit, organised by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency.
The Attorney-General who is also a member of the Governing Board of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, pointed out that in keeping with the provisions of the Procurement Law, the procurement process of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the State must be transparent, competitive and accountable, adding that anything to the contrary is unacceptable.
Mr. Pedro, therefore, enjoined public officers saddled with the responsibility of managing resources of the State Government, including Accounting Officers, Procurement Officers, Accountants, State Counsel, Auditors and Planning Officers, among others to be conversant with the Procurement Law and fully comply with its provisions with regard to their functions.
He warned that nobody has the liberty or the licence “to set aside any provisions of the Law to suit his/her whims and caprices at any time and under any guise whatsoever”, adding that public officers must therefore, “desist from unlawful actions that can bring the State Government into disrepute and cast doubts on the integrity of the public procurement system of the State”.
The Attorney-General further pointed out the Procurement Law must be complied with at all times whether in a challenging or booming economic situation or circumstance.
Mr. Pedro also urged public officers in the State to continue to strive for excellence in the implementation of the Public Procurement Law so that the State can continue to enjoy the honour and respect of diverse stakeholders in public procurement across the world and also reap the benefits of efficiency and probity associated with due process in public procurement.
In his welcome address at the occasion, the Director-General, Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Mr. Fatai Idowu Onafowote explained that the Summit was organised as a platform for stakeholders to brainstorm and generate ideas that would strengthen the public procurement system in the State in the midst of the current economic challenges in the country, pointing out that this informed the choice of the theme of the Summit: “Ensuring Best Practices in Public Procurement in a Dwindling Economy”.
The Director-General noted that the rising costs in the macro-economic environment have serious implications for public procurement, practitioners, service providers and other people entrusted with the management of public funds as Governments at all levels are expected to justify the primary objectives for their existence by ensuring the security and welfare of the citizenry even in a challenging economic situation as currently being experienced in the country and even beyond.
Mr. Onafowote added that the Summit was, therefore, designed “to proffer practicable solutions and strategies that will enable the State Government to deliver dividends of democracy to the people of the State without compromising quality or circumventing due process in public procurement even at a time of macro-economic instability our country is currently passing through”.
He, therefore, expressed the hope that participants at the Summit would generate ideas that would assist public officers who manage public funds and resources to develop and implement policies and strategies that would put the State Government on a good pedestal in meeting its obligations to the people of the State.
The Director-General expressed appreciation to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as well as the State House of Assembly for their relentless support of the Agency.
Also, in a goodwill message, the Chairman, House Committee on Procurement, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Samuel Olufemi Apata pointed out that the House is particularly interested in the Agency because there is a nexus between the objectives of the Office and the oversight functions being carried out by the House.
Hon. Apata added that while there is no point denying that there are economic challenges confronting the nation, there is no justification for cutting corners and compromising due process in public procurement activities in the State.
The lawmaker restated the commitment of the Honourable Speaker and Members of the House to continue to support and complement the efforts of the Agency towards ensuring best practices in the public procurement system of the State.
Other dignitaries who participated at the event were the Special Adviser to the Governor on Taxation and Revenue, Mr. Abdul-Kabir Ogungbo; the Permanent Secretary, Office of Works, Arc. Adebayo Odusanya; the Executive Chairman, Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), Mr. Ayodele Subair; the Chairman, Special Committee on the Rehabilitation of Public Schools (SCRPS), Mr. Hakeem Smith; representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the State as well as Procurement Officers of MDAs of the State, among a host of others.
