BPP’S 2024 Mandatory Continuous Public Procurement Capacity Development Training in Lagos, was an eye opener to Procurement Personnel in MDA’s; as South West Editor JOHN SILAS, spoke with the Director, Research, Training and Strategic Planning, Mr. Adebowale Adedokun who said, participants were groomed with knowledge to deliver efficient procurement processes. Excerpts:
Sir, we appreciate your agency’s effort in equipping the personnel of government with the requisite knowledge to perform their work but, can this goal be achieved without collaborating other departments of government?
There is a collaboration between all the other agencies you have been told like; the EFCC, ICPC, Police and all other anti-corruption agencies.
When they know what to do, it is easier for them to track people who are doing procurement illegally or wrongly.
So, what the workshop is doing is to bring people together in one spot with the same vision and knowledge to protect government resources from being frittered away by people who just believe the money is for them.
So for this training, the benefit to government is that, the civil servants will be more acquainted. They have improved their knowledge to work faster and timely and deliver within the rules provided.
To the anti-corruption agencies, it will help them to fight corruption in procurement, it will give everybody the understanding of what, and what not to do to prevent corruption.
So, there are numerous benefits to the 36 states on what the have learned here. I know, if you see somebody doing something better than you, you would want to aspire to do better.
The idea is that, we have people from states who are learning what the federal government is doing and vice – versa, so that you can go back and improve the system.
What advice do you have for the participants who are just graduating as they go back to their respective states?
Well! My advice is that one; they should go back home and show their organizations that they have learned something new.
Two; it is a reminder that, if you do the wrong thing, the law will catch up on you and thirdly; the ordinary Nigerians who are learning for development like good roads, hospitals and electricity etc, would begin to see the results if they do their work by following the rules and regulations, and help our political leaders not to do the wrong thing or help them to achieve their political goals but within the confines of the law. That is what is expected of them as they go back.
We have been doing this way back 2008 but, we keep improving the strategy just like if you had Nokia 3310 mobile phone; can you still use Nokia 3310 mobile phone today? The answer would be No! You must improve so, that is what is happening and it is a yearly exercise.
How do you ensure the sustainability of the knowledge gained from the training by the participants?
Yes! For instance, they would be exposed after this training. The participants are expected to go back and write reports of what they have learned, what they intend to do, what new things they would need to do. They would write to their Bosses that; we came this training and these are the lessons we have learned.
They would do a Memo advising their Chief Executives Officers (CEO,s) on how to improve the processes within their organizations.
Two; for the organizers, we are building younger generations. It is called “Sustainable Plan”. Those who have attended the training for the three weeks; different sets of officers came week – by – week and go.
Different professionals and we also have retired Directors of government. People whom government has invested in them and who are no longer in the service also come here to impact knowledge they have gained in the younger ones, to show them how things are done.
So, the beauty of it is that, those who have retired but are not tired are being invited to come and share life experiences how these things are done.
These are the different strategies that we are deploying to sustain the programme beyond now because, these are generations of Nigerians who need to be told how things can be better for the country through an efficient procurement system.
So for all of us, what we are doing is to groom. We are doing train – the – trainer. As we are doing, we are training the upcoming; who will tomorrow know what we have done. So, we are transferring knowledge, as well as improving capacity.
What is the hope for the future procurement officers?
Every country that has developed or able to provide roads, electricity, healthcare and good education system etc, implemented public procurement efficiently in their country.
What we are doing is laying foundation for deepening economic growth and sustainable development. In fact, we are doing sustainability in terms of environment; improving what the environment should be, like the labour and gender inclusiveness.
So, the future would be brighter if we sustain the capacity development; building people’s knowledge because, knowledge they say is power.
A blind man cannot lead another. The essence of the training is to build people who can see, who know that if we can do it well, there will be good infrastructure; good roads, water supply and security etc, and that is what good procurement practices would bring to our country.
Can you tell us the number of participants you have trained so far?
We registered 400 people but those who are writing examinations today is 380 persons.
Are we likely to see retrenchment after this exercise today?
Well! There will be nothing like retrenchment after this exercise because, they are employing people. That is why we called it , “Continuous Capacity Development”. They are already employed but what is showing is that, if anyone fails; shows that the person did not learn anything or he was weak and needs to go back.
So, what we expect is that, nobody would be sacked or retrenched. In fact, it is an opportunity for anybody to improve his capacity.
Training is for the improvement of capacity and so, whoever would see his result and maybe did not do well, the next thing is for the organization to tell the person to go back and start it all over again. It is just an avenue to learn more.
Is there any process required for the training?
The process required for the training is very clear.One, it would be advertised and our registration is On – Line not manual.
Organizations at State and federal levels all write to forward their nominations of candidates they generated internally to come and partake but, we would analyze the qualifications. We would check the certificates; Degrees; Grade Levels in service; Age etc.
So, there are criteria that we must go through and after that, we would release the list On – Line and in the Newspapers for the Candidates to know that they have been shortlisted.
