Procurement Reforms Behind Attacks on Adedokun, Says Former BPP DG

The pioneer Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr. Emeka Eze, has attributed the wave of petitions and criticisms against the current Director-General, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, to ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening transparency and ensuring value for money in public procurement.

Eze, who headed the agency for nine years, said resistance from vested interests is often an indication that procurement reforms are working, noting that he faced similar attacks during his tenure for blocking attempts to manipulate the public procurement system for personal gain.

He spoke on Thursday in Abuja at “The Procurement Evolution,” an event organised by the BPP to commemorate the agency’s role in driving public sector reforms and promoting accountability in government spending.

Reflecting on his experience in office, Eze recalled that petitions and controversies were commonplace during his leadership of the bureau.

“For nine years that I was the DG, there were petitions flying everywhere. Fireworks everywhere. But after I left, for another eight years, no petitions, no fireworks,” he said.

According to him, the return of petitions shortly after Adedokun assumed office suggests that the bureau may once again be challenging entrenched interests that benefit from loopholes in the procurement system.

“The moment Debo resumed, I noticed the fireworks and petitions had resumed again. It means there is something we are doing right that some people do not want,” Eze stated.

He further recounted an encounter with one of the individuals behind the criticisms after leaving office.

“As a matter of fact, after I left office, I saw one of those behind the fireworks and asked him why he was no longer making noise. He told me I had blocked them from chopping,” Eze said.

The former BPP chief used the occasion to urge Nigeria President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to institutionalise June 4 as National Procurement Day, saying the annual observance would provide an opportunity for stakeholders across the federation to evaluate the country’s procurement system and chart pathways for improvement.

Earlier, the current Director-General of the BPP, Adebowale Adedokun, paid tribute to the pioneers of procurement reforms in Nigeria, describing their contributions as instrumental to the growth and credibility of the nation’s procurement framework.

“On behalf of the entire staff of BPP, I pay respect to our visionary leaders who led the struggle for the establishment of the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit in 2001 and the eventual creation of the BPP on June 4, 2007,” Adedokun said.

He noted that procurement should be viewed as more than an administrative process, describing it as a strategic tool for economic transformation, industrial development, innovation, and institutional accountability.

“In our national context, we must view public procurement not merely as an administrative clearinghouse, but as a potent, unifying tool for our collective national development,” he said.

Adedokun maintained that despite implementation challenges since the enactment of the Public Procurement Act in 2007, successive leaderships and staff of the bureau have continued to strengthen Nigeria’s procurement architecture and deepen transparency in public spending.

The BPP boss also commended President Tinubu for providing the political support necessary for the bureau to effectively discharge its mandate, noting that the principles of public procurement align closely with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“At the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda is the commitment to build stronger institutions, improve public service delivery, deepen economic productivity, expand opportunities for indigenous businesses, and ensure that public resources are deployed efficiently for the benefit of citizens,” he said.