By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Benue State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, has held a three-day training for its staff to strengthen the integrity of public procurement processes.

The training which was held in Makurdi had in attendance Accounts, Audit, Procurement, and Technical Officers of the Board whose roles are said to be crucial to the efficiency of the public procurement system and processes.

The Information Officer of the Board, Emmanuella Akese in a statement, weekend, explained that the training which ended Thursday had facilitators from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, and the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC.

The Executive Chairman of the Board Dr. Grace Adagba, in her address reiterated  Governor Hyacinth Alia’s  commitment to ensuring due process in contract awards and execution hence the training to ensure that the system works effectively and efficiently.

According to her, “the training is organized to enhance the knowledge of staff; though we have capable hands at SUBEB, learning is a continuous process and no knowledge is wasted.”

The Executive Chairman who noted that the training was the first of its kind since the establishment of the Board, emphasised that “it is expected to foster a seamless process in contract and procurement execution in the basic education sector through enhanced synergy with regulatory agencies.”

The Commissioner of Education and Knowledge Management, Dr. Frederick Ikyaan, described public procurement as “the cornerstone of administration, directly impacting the quality of services the government delivers, including essential services such as education and infrastructure.”

He emphasized that the training was important “given the intense scrutiny the public procurement process in Nigeria has faced due to instances of mismanagement and corruption.”

The ICPC Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Atiku Menge emphasized the need for government officials to promote fairness and transparency as well as ensure that contracts provide value for money and fulfill their purpose.

Also, Solomon Iorngee of the ICPC, pointed out that whistle blower protection was crucial to uncovering fraudulent activities and promoting a culture of honesty for effective and efficient use of public resources.

The EFCC Zonal Director, Makurdi, Anslem Ozioko, and the representative of the BPP, Sa’eed Umar pointed out the criminality of bypassing due process in procurement and contract awards.

In their presentations, Stephanie Phillips urged government agencies to check cyber threats by securing financial data and adhering to relevant regulations while James Ogbunkwu also of the EFCC called for transparency and accountability in contract execution to foster meaningful development.

In a vote of thanks, the Board Secretary, Dr. Joseph Jande commended the resource persons for exposing the staff to current procurement and contract ethics. 

The Board’s Director of Legal Services, Stephanie Manyam and Procurement Officer, Terkimbir Dyegh lauded the Board’s management for organizing the extensive training to prepare staff for effective engagement in contract activities.

Present at the training were representatives of partners like the Benue Internal Revenue Service, BIRS, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, who expressed solidarity and commended the effort of the government to improve procurement processes in the state.