Yemisi Izuora
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, has issued a strong warning to management and staff of the Corporation against any action that contravenes the provisions of the Public Procurement Act in the award of contracts, saying severe penalties await any defaulter.
Baru gave the warning at a Supply Chain Management workshop for NNPC Procurement Managers which held Wednesday at the NNPC Towers, Abuja.
A release by the corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, stated that Dr. Baru cautioned staff against contract splitting and accumulation, which he described as a deliberate act by procurement managers to subvert due process in the procurement process.
He restated the corporation’scommitment to transparency in every aspect of its operations, stressing that all procurements and contract awards in the corporation under his watch so far had been carried out in conformity with the Public Procurement Act.
To further deepen the culture of transparency in the corporation, the GMD directed the Supply Chain Management Division to step up its level of monitoring of the various tender boards within the NNPC for full compliance.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the early approval of the NNPC budget, assuring that as the chief revenue earner for the nation, NNPC was committed to the economic policies of the Federal Government.
“The whole essence of the next level is to ensure that things are done correctly and speedily for the benefit of the people”, Dr. Baru stated.
The workshop was organized to sensitise procurement Managers in the NNPC to the new procurement policies by the Federal Government.