Gov. tasks practitioners on robust procurement system

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has urged professionals and stakeholders to promote and deepen capacity for a good, robust procurement system in the country.
A statement issued by the governor’s media aide, Gboyega Akosile, quoted Sanwo-Olu saying that the state government has been a strong advocate and a convert of a well-coordinated and transparent procurement process for many years.
According to the statement, Sanwo-Olu made the call during a courtesy visit by the Global Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), Ben Farrell, and the Regional Director for Africa, Middle East and Asia-Pacific, Sam Achampong, at Lagos House, Marina, recently.
The governor said there are experiences that Lagos State has gathered in the procurement process that can be shared with the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, as well as professionals in other parts of the world.
Sanwo-Olu said: “For us, especially in Lagos State, we have been a strong advocate and a convert of a well-coordinated, transparent procurement process. We pride ourselves that we are one of the first governments and bodies to have institutionalised and started a public procurement process.
“I was privileged to be in government 15 years ago when the conversation started, and we were quick to set up relevant agencies. But over time, one of the things we realised is that we also need to continue to spread out competency. We need to continue to ensure that capacity is deepened and enriched.
“There is a need for us to ensure that we do it rightly. Here in Lagos, we understand fully the value of a very good, robust procurement system. It helps to anticipate. It helps to negotiate better.”
Speaking earlier, the Global Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), Mr. Ben Farrell, expressed the willingness of the Institute to provide capacity building to drive competence for the benefit and the prosperity of Nigeria.