BY Emma Ujah

The-Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, Mr. Emeka Ezeh, said in Abuja, yesterday, that 156 companies were being prosecuted for allegedly forging procurement documents to bid for contracts.

Ezeh spoke at the Bureau’s Annual Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers, CCSP, Forum of Federal Government Ministries, Agencies and Departments, in Abuja.

He said 80 per cent of contractors who do business with the Federal Government tender forged documents. The DG who frowned at the ignoble practice said that the worst culprits were local contractors.

His said: “Many contractors, especially 80 per cent of the local ones, are notorious for submitting fake documents when biding for contracts. We see all manner of fake documents such as false Tax Clearance Certificates, PenCom Certificate of Compliance, false claims of personnel, false audited accounts and use of fake addresses  and submission of fake bank statements.

“Currently, there are 156 companies being prosecuted because of this. We do not have enough space in our prisons to accommodate all these fraudulent activities by contractors, so this has to change.”

Ezeh said the unscrupulous contractors were depriving the nation of value-for-money service.

He told the contractors that although his office will encourage local contractors to bid for public jobs, he will not do business with any fraudulent company.

The Nigerian public, according to the BPP boss, deserved the best of services. He urged honest contractors to come forward and participate in the bidding processes, especially as the Federal Government was determined to ensure an effective implementation of the 2014 federal budget.