The new Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Mr. Adebowale Adedokun, has urged staff to desist from rumour-mongering while declaring his administration’s intention to maintain an open-door policy.
Mr. Adedokun, who is the former Director of Research, Strategic Training, and Acquisition at the BPP, made this known during the handover ceremony from his predecessor and Acting Director-General, Mr. Olusegun Omotola, held at the BPP office in Abuja.
Identifying rumor-mongering as one of the major challenges facing the bureau, the new DG encouraged staff to avoid engaging in such activities, emphasizing that his administration will prioritize open communication with all employees.
“I can assure you that my administration will not compromise on merit, quality, and the development of staff. I will respect you and take the necessary steps to ensure the continuous growth of the bureau. My vision is to build a BPP workforce that is exportable and meets global standards,” he said.
He further noted that, in addition to thoroughly reviewing and acting on the handover notes of his predecessor, his administration will focus on developing policies to empower women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
In his remarks at the handover ceremony, the outgoing Acting Director-General, Mr. Omotola, highlighted several challenges faced by the bureau, including an outdated salary structure, inadequate office space, insufficient budget allocations, the need for additional staff recruitment, inadequate office furnishings and tools, and the need for the digitization of BPP operations to enhance service delivery.
Despite these challenges, Mr. Omotola outlined significant achievements during his tenure, which spanned from June 21 to November 18, 2024.
These achievements include:
Adoption of an open-door policy to facilitate direct feedback between staff and the executive (DG).
Improvement in the turnaround time for procurement processes, reducing the timeframe from two to three months to no more than one month.
Increase in approval and procurement method thresholds.
Elimination of unwarranted contractor visits to the BPP office, with BPP now dealing directly with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
“Contractors are no longer allowed into the BPP office. The bureau deals directly with the MDAs,” Mr. Omotola stated.
Other accomplishments of his administration include submitting a proposal to the National Assembly to review the bureau’s salary structure, which has remained unchanged since 2011, and advocating for an enhanced budget ceiling to enable the BPP to expand its public procurement duties effectively.
In welcoming his successor, Mr. Omotola prayed for God’s wisdom and guidance for Mr. Adedokun as he assumed leadership of the bureau.
