Babatunde Raji Fashola, the Minister of Power Works and Housing is currently pushing for the National Assembly to amend the Public Procurement Act, 2007 with a view to reducing the time frame of the procurement process.
Fashola aslo advised procuring entities to always have in place, the procurement planning committee and fast track the procurement process based on budget proposals without necessarily waiting for the passage of the Appropriation Act.
Fashola made this position known in a communique issued at the end of the retreat for top management officers and chief executive officers of the Federal Ministry of Power,Works and Housing held in Abuja between 18th and 20th May 2017.
The Minister in the Communique also noted the need to build the capacity of public officials involved in public procurement;in furtherance to the need to compel foreign companies involved in construction projects to sublet certain components of the projects to local/indigenous contractors with a view to building their capacity;
He further informed of the need for procuring entities to strictly adhere to the approved threshold as contained in the Procurement Guidelines issued by the Bureau of Public Procurement Act, 2007 and other extant rules.
On the power sector, Fashola noted that the problems associated with the privatization of the power sector and the plans to resolve them through the power sector recovery programme;
He advised that power consumption should commensurate with the tariff paid by consumers;
noted the need to conduct a survey in order to develop an accurate data base of energy consumers.
Fashola in the Communique further directed Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader (NBET) to work together and come up with a position paper on lasting solution to the inadequate metering facilities in the country.
HARRISON EDEH, ABUJA
