…as Shaibu hosts Ogun State Public Procurement Delegation
Edo State Government Tuesday received a delegation from Ogun State Public Procurement Agency, as part of an exchange program between the two States.
Receiving the delegation on behalf of Governor Godwin Obaseki at the Government House, Benin City, the Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu, noted that alignment of resources for public projects by the three tiers of government is critical to progressive governance in the country.
He said despite the political differences between Edo and Ogun, States, the Bureau of Public Procurement dared to be in Edo to understudy its procurement process. It shows that Ogun State is being run by great thinkers.
“The kind of leaders we need in our country today are thinkers who will change the narrative and not those that lament.”
“When you’re elected or appointed to provide leadership, you must seek and provide solutions for the benefit of the people and not join in the lamentation”.
“Edo State Government was very clear from the beginning of its mission and vision, in redefining governance to leave up to the people’s expectations”.
“Many had reduced governance to personal estate, trivialities and completely politicized without differentiating governance from politics”.
“Nigeria is in dire need of people with capacity who can draw the line between politicking and progressive governance. We don’t need to gamble with the crossroads”.
“As a Government, when we came on board, we took many decisions that were not tangible, that you cannot physically see, but these are the reforms that have taken place in Edo Civil Service. These reforms are not classrooms or road projects that you can see or feel, but these are reforms that propelled the sustainability of the physical infrastructure that in turn gave room to private investments”
“This has guaranteed peace, progress and the physical infrastructure like the roads and other projects you now see today”.
“The engine room of any government must function for the set goals to be actualized. The process of actualizing the goals must start with the legal tender and we cannot spend the money without knowing how government does its business in terms of setting transparency, standards and legal procedures. This brought the idea of domesticating Edo State Government policies since 2012”.
“The law cannot be static due to evolution and global changes. This is why we keep following and moving with the global practices and trends”.
“We had to key into the global practice of public e-procurement because our system of governance has been digitalized and by the end of 2023, all Edo State Government transactions will be fully electronic”.
“This means that all government agencies must be trained and retrained to be ICT savvy”.
“In all of these, the taxpayers must be carried along in every step to see the implementation of their taxes. Our Government is all about the people and not a private entity”, Shaibu added.
Earlier, the Director General, Ogun State Bureau of Public Procurement Agency, Dr. Adesina Olanloye, congratulated Edo State Government for keying into the global best practice of public procurement.
He added that Edo State is highly transparent, accountable and most importantly, giving value for money.
“We appreciate Your Excellency, having discovered that Edo State is one of the only two States in Nigeria that publishes the contracts awarded for public consumption. That’s how it should be”.
“Such transparency gives the people the confidence to keep paying their taxes, knowing that their money will be judiciously used for its purpose”.
“We have, indeed, learnt a lot from the Edo State Government and we have equally shared our ideas of public procurement. We hope this collaboration continues”, he said.
Photos: Egbobawaye Imuegbe