By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – Worried by the corruption holes that characterise the procurement process, the senate on Wednesday moved to block the loopholes, the senate committee chairman on public procurement, senator, Shauibu Lau has stated.
According to Lau, “the senate is at the verge of blocking corruption through the public procurement process, informing that the essence of the two days public hearing by the committee was tailored towards repealing the obsolete laws that is used as conduit pipe for corruption in the process of public procurement.
Sen. Lau while addressing the journalists after the two days public hearing at the national assembly said, it is a well-known fact that there is corruption in the process of public procurement, because no matter how the laws are, human beings will always look for a way to bypass it.
“You can agree with me that corruption is there, that is the reason we are holding this public hearing. Every law you make after sometimes human beings being who they are, they will find a way either to reconvert the law or do one thing or the other to bypass the law, that is why there is need always to repeal your laws, to block the loopholes for all the leakages, and that is exactly what we are doing.
He noted that they have listen to presentation from all the stakeholders invited to the public hearing, now the committee will work on all their suggestions, their fears and their beliefs so that they can advise the senate appropriately.
He further noted that some of the major stakeholders of the sector who were invited did not show up, a situation he frowned against.
Meanwhile Senator Shuaibu I. Lau has earlier called for the holistic amendment of the procurement Act No 14 of the 2007 to remove some bottleneck in the law.
He said that one of the cardinal principles of the 9th Senate as articulated in its legislative agenda is to have a holistic review of the major laws that have direct bearing on the lives of Nigerians, one of such laws is the Procurement Act 14 of 2007 which is supposed to have served as a catalyst to annual appropriation Acts.
The Senator said that the failure of government since 2007 to constitute the National procurement Council, NPC may not be unconnected with the composition of the membership of the Council as provided in the Act, adding that the establishment of the Council and the functions of its members was supposed to give life to the Act
