Osun has no data on e-procurement portal – Transparency group, BudgIT

A notable transparency advocacy group, BudgIT, has reported that Osun State Government has refused to publish relevant information on the state’s e-procurement portal.

According to the civic organisation, which uses creative technology to simplify public information, Osun State’s performance on the fiscal transparency league table was impacted by late submission of Accountant General’s report “and the absence of 2024 data on the e-procurement portal.”

The state, therefore, was advised to prioritize the timely submission of financial reports and update its e-procurement platform with current data.

The state was equally advised to invest in the digital transformation of procurement processes and ensure regular system updates to strengthen transparency and efficiency in public financial management.

In its Q2 2024 report, BudgIT raises similar concerns, scoring the state 5 out of 11 in e-procurement system because the e-procurement portal lacked up to date documents.

The group also has scathing remarks for the state in its Q1 report, saying Osun had no scores for comprehensiveness….just as it adds that the citizens budget was not timely published.

It equally reports that the Budget Implementation Report (BIR) for Q1 2024 was not very comprehensive and the proposed budget ( 2024) was not found online.

Recall that the state government under the leadership of Governor Ademola Adeleke has been serially accused of running a secret-cult government owing to its penchant for hiding details of financial and procurement transactions of the state.

Unlike the previous government which uploaded no fewer than 110 contract and procurement details on the portal in a spate of three years, the current government has only published seven (7) contract details in two years, raising eyebrows about the government’s commitment to accountability and transparency.

In the same vein, the government has refused to disclose sectoral details and breakdown of its budget estimates for 2025 even though the budget document was submitted to the state assembly a fortnight ago, a development suggesting that the state government is hiding some skeletons in its compound.