A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has publicly approved President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s public procurement reforms, describing them as essential to tackling long-standing inefficiencies and opacity in government spending.
The declaration was made in a joint statement issued on Monday, jointly signed by Malcolm Adakole, National Convener of the Northern Youth Integrity Group, and Mohammed Isah Mohammed of the Oduduwa Development Initiative, among others. The groups, which work across various public-governance and civic-engagement spheres, said their support is both principled and practical.
According to the coalition, its backing of the reforms is “rooted in evidence-based advocacy, a longstanding commitment to governance reform, and a commitment to responsible civic engagement.” They also made clear their opposition to what they described as “narratives that undermine reform under the guise of accountability.”
In the statement, the coalition outlined key components of the procurement reform agenda, which they say are central to restoring discipline and professionalism in public spending, including; rationalisation of procurement approval thresholds to align authority with project scale, strengthening of prior-review and compliance mechanisms to ensure due process, standardisation of bidding and evaluation documents to level the playing field for contractors, enforceable sanctions against defaulting contractors to deter poor performance a and a gradual shift towards comprehensive electronic procurement systems to reduce manual discretion.
“The ongoing reform measures include the rationalisation of procurement approval thresholds, the strengthening of prior-review and compliance mechanisms, the standardisation of bidding and evaluation documents, enforceable sanctions against defaulting contractors, and the gradual transition toward a comprehensive electronic procurement system,” the statement said.
The statement further positioned the procurement reforms as a core component of the Federal Government’s wider Renewed Hope Agenda, an initiative aimed at strengthening governance and public financial management. The coalition argued that without effective reform in procurement practices, Nigeria’s ambitions for sustainable economic growth, infrastructure renewal and service delivery will remain out of reach.
“Public procurement reform lies at the heart of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at addressing structural weaknesses that have encouraged inefficiency, cost inflation, and poor value-for-money outcomes in public spending,” the group said.
They added, “Nigeria’s ambition for sustainable economic growth, infrastructure renewal and improved service delivery would remain elusive if public procurement continues to be opaque, discretionary and resistant to oversight.”
The coalition emphasised that the reform trajectory should be defended and deepened in the national interest, arguing that it “is designed to entrench discipline, transparency, and professionalism within the procurement ecosystem.”
The civil society endorsement comes as part of a broader push across government and civic sectors to strengthen Nigeria’s procurement framework. Federal agencies like the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) have in recent months reiterated commitments to transparency, efficiency and stricter compliance, including through collaborations with anti-corruption agencies and efforts to publish revised lists of CSOs eligible to monitor procurement processes.
Policy-makers and procurement professionals have also signalled support for greater stakeholder engagement, with the BPP’s Director-General calling for stronger collaboration with civil society groups and professional bodies to ensure reforms are successful and sustainable.
