INTEGRATING OPENCONTRACTING INTO PUBLIC PROCUREMENT: A MEANS TO AN END
“Open contracting is about publishing and using open, accessible and timely information on government contracting to engage citizens and businesses in identifying and fixing problems”. (Quoted from Budeshi manual)
The procurement process is a powerful tool necessary in government as the main aim of meeting the needs of the people, society, and community. In line with this, it is, therefore, no hidden truth that 90% of corruption occurs during procurement, (derived from Budeshi manual)
This act of corruption is not hidden and has been a major source of concern to many in the society, which is why CSOs across the nations are constantly on the front line fighting against corruption as many organizations have witnessed first-hand the deplorable state citizens suffer in various sectors especially health and education.
Knowledge they say is power, a Yoruba adage when interpreted goes further to highlight the salient meaning in that statement, the adage says that “any issue or activity that you have no knowledge about is of superiority to you. It is also said that for one to be able to perform effectively and efficiently one has to be informed.
In lieu of the above the Capacity Building Workshop organized by the Public and Private Development Center(PPDC) for selected CSOs in Ekiti State; which Life And Peace Development Organisation(LAPDO) participated in. The workshop centered on open contracting, the use of the Freedom of information Act 2011, and the Public Procurement Act 2007, it also equipped participants with the necessary knowledge in demanding information that would aid accountability and transparency in the public procurement process.
Equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills, LAPDO with funding from PPDC embarked on a monitoring and evaluation process to track government-approved projects across the State, as generated by the Open contracting portal (OC portal). The monitoring process has recorded huge wins and success stories one of which is the construction of the E-library complex at Ekiti State College of Agriculture and Technology, Isan Ekiti.
The Ekiti State College of Agriculture and Technology, Isan Ekiti was established in the year 2014 as College of Technical and Commercial Agriculture by Dr. Kayode Fayemi led administration with a focus on middle-level manpower development in the Agricultural sector, but this was truncated due to neglect by the immediate past
Government; with the re-election of Dr. Kayode into office the project was again sprung back into action. Necessary structures are being constructed; one of such is the E-Library complex; The project was awarded to Kouris construction Nig LTD with a contract sum of #131,196,167:00. The project is expected to serve as a heritage for the next generation i.e. a reservoir for the storage of facts; It would also offer an excellent academic environment to students, which will provide access to an enormous amount of knowledge; thereby making the institution an innovation hub.
The team’s first visit to the project site was on the 18th August 2020 shortly after the ease of the lockdown; As a result of the COVID 19 guidelines and directives, staff had not fully resumed, although so many constructions were still in progress at the college premises; there were no representatives to provide adequate information on the project except the contractor who was not disposed to divulging information because according to him he had no idea of our organization. During the visit, the team observed that the project was still at trench level with a load of material deposit at the site.
In October 2020 the team visited the site again to monitor the status but discovered that work had been suspended for months. The project was still at trench level during that visit, this has caused a delay in the compilation of the project. Efforts to seek adequate information from parties involved failed. However, a Freedom of Information was issued by LAPDO to the Ekiti State Ministry of Education, Science & Technology. The team, in turn, paid advocacy to the State Ministry of Education, Science & Technology and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sustainability also had several engagements with Directors, HOD amongst others. It is worthy to note that construction has resumed on the site, and we are currently monitoring the process to ensure that the complex is completed successfully.
Pictures 1 and 2 are the pictures taken during the team’s initial visit, while pictures 3 and 4 are recent pictures taken after the advocacy and resumption of work on the project site.
Written by Oluwabukola Adekunle
Life And Peace Development Organisation
