By Christopher Oji
A group of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has petitioned the House of Representatives, as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission ( ICPC), over alleged N6 billion contract splitting in the Nigeria Police.
Executive Director, Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa and Convener, Say No Campaign Nigeria, Ezenwa Nwagwu, said the group has also written to the police under the Freedom of Information Act to clarify allegations made in the petition.
The group urged the House to collaborate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), ICPC and other relevant bodies to ensure a thorough probe of the allegations.
They also called for a review of police assets and contracts through an audit of all police contracts, procurements in recent times.
Nwagwu said: “Recent developments have raised serious questions about the prudent management of resources within the force. This should concern every responsible citizen, including those in leadership positions.
“For instance, we expect an explanation to reports alleging a N6 billion contract for police uniforms was split into 66 smaller contracts:each just under the procurement threshold, despite a prior budgetary allocation for the same purpose.”
The petitioners further averred that,“The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) sets monetary thresholds for contract approvals, which vary depending on the government entity. (e.g., Parastatal Tenders Board, Ministerial Tenders Board, or Federal Executive Council).
“Contracts above N100million typically require BPP review and high value contract running into billions require the approval of FEC. It is safe to say that splitting contracts into smaller amounts to bypass approval thresholds, competitive bidding, or oversight is a direct violation of Section 20(2)(b) of the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007.”