● DG says exam to instil ethics, discipline
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has concluded Batch A of its 2026 Mandatory Continuous Public Procurement Capacity Development Training Programme for officers from federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies and some state governments.
The three-week programme, which had over 300 participants, ended with a mandatory examination on Saturday at the PTDF Skills Development Training Centre, Igwuruta, Port Harcourt.
Director-General of the BPP, Dr Adebowale A. Adedokun, said the examination is to test understanding and ensure officers have the basic rudiments of public procurement.
He said those who pass will be certified as procurement officers, while those who fail will have two more chances to retake the exam.
According to him, officers who fail after three attempts will be recommended for redeployment from procurement to other units.
“This training is to create a culture of prevention of abuse of government resources. We are training them to be ethically minded, to be organized, to have soft skills, leadership skills, IT skills, and stakeholder management skills,” Adedokun said.
He said the training aims to catch officers young, instil a Nigeria-first mindset and teamwork, and make them understand that their decisions affect the quality of roads, hospitals and schools delivered to Nigerians.
Adedokun stressed that procurement officers must be able to guide their superiors on what is right and have the courage to reject wrongdoing and personal gain.
He disclosed that, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive, no officer will be allowed to practise procurement in the public service without going through the BPP programme.
The DG said the Bureau is institutionalising procurement as a distinct career path like Engineering, Accountancy and Law, adding that universities now offer degrees in Sustainable Procurement and the Bureau expects its first academically trained procurement graduates in the next three years.
To catch them early, BPP is also promoting Procurement Clubs in tertiary institutions to equip students with procurement knowledge and enable them to monitor projects on campuses.
He said all participants signed a Code of Conduct against fraud and examination malpractice, with the signed undertaking to be filed in their personnel records.
The next batch of the training is expected to commence in two weeks.
