ABUJA, Nigeria — The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr Adebowale Adedokun, has urged the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to produce procurement-specialised lawyers to combat corruption and inefficiencies in public procurement.
Speaking at the NBA’s 65th Annual General Conference in Enugu, Adedokun said legal professionals must take ownership of the standard bidding document to reduce deficits.
“If we are to minimise procurement failures, lawyers must understand and apply revised procedures effectively,” he noted.
The call was contained in a statement issued Friday in Abuja by BPP’s Head of Public Relations, Zira Zakka Nagga.
Adedokun recommended procurement specialisation, stronger collaboration across departments, improved contract drafting, and closing legal loopholes that fuel corruption. Without governance reforms, he warned, increased infrastructure funding would be wasted.
The BPP DG projected that Nigeria requires $100 billion annually and a total of $3 trillion over three decades to close its infrastructure gap. He stressed that procurement reforms are key to ensuring efficiency and value for money.
He also highlighted anti-corruption measures, transparency, and stakeholder engagement as vital steps toward bridging the country’s infrastructure deficit.
“Procurement is more than a process — it is a strategic enabler of development,” Adedokun said.
