Reps seek move funding for BPP

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The House of Representatives has said there is a need for adequate funding for the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to enable it to discharge its functions effectively.

The Chairman, House Committee on Public Procurement, Nasir Ali Ahmed, stated this when the BPP appeared before the committee for the defence of its 2023 budget proposal.

Ahmed noted that the House would liaise with the Senate to see how the parliament can ensure more funding for the agency in the 2023 budget.

“I believe that for the economic growth of any country, it must have the procurement processes well planned. Now with N58 million as the capital for the 2023 budget for BPP, I really don’t understand how the agency that is very important to the economic and structural growth of this country can be allocated just a mere amount of N58 million.

” We just complained about N28 million not being enough for surveillance and monitoring of projects. Now, the capital budget has been cut down from last year from N197 million to N58 million in 2023. It is something I believe we should look at it as a committee because it does not make sense.”

Meanwhile, the House Ad-hoc Committee probing the Joint Venture (JV) businesses and Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has said oil companies operating in the country do not have Certificate of Acceptance on Fixed Assets (CAFA).

Chairman of the Committee, Abubakar Fulata, while speaking at the investigative hearing, said some of the companies are also guilty of tax evasion.

Fulata said, “Let me make it very clear that the issue of tax evasion is at the core of this investigation. We have given you ample time to respond but most of the companies deliberately withheld information.

“All companies in Nigeria do not have the CAFA certificates and they are enjoying capital allowance amounting to millions of dollars. Things they can’t do in their country they are doing in Nigeria. Unless you clear the malfeasance of this allowance, the committee would be compelled by the relevant agency to recover this money.

“I will like to urge the stakeholders in this investigation to appear as a matter of necessity to defend themselves against flagrant violation of Nigeria’s tax laws.”