The Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Emeka Ezeh, said on Tuesday that the bureau saved the country N659 billion from contracts awards between 2009 and 2014.

Mr. Ezeh said this in his paper on “Ending the scourge of abandoned projects in Nigeria”, presented in Abuja.

Mr. Ezeh said the sum amounted to the difference between the proposed sum for contracts submitted by Federal Government contractors in different ministries, departments and agencies, and what the bureau approved.

He urged the overnment to strengthen institutions like the BPP through which corruption and waste could be minimised.

Mr. Ezeh said it was not enough for the BPP Act to regulate the Federal Government.

He said it was also important for states and local governments to adopt the act to curb corruption at all levels.

The DG expressed concern over the way many international companies that handled huge construction projects in Nigeria were shrinking or closing operations.

On abandoned projects, MRr. Ezeh said the three tiers of government had contributed to the trend, which he said, had led to huge waste of resources.

“Delays in payments for jobs duly certified can lead to a project being abandoned.

“Others include contract splitting, especially for low-value contracts, is a factor; the use of fake documents by contractors and multiple ownership of companies by contractors.

“Also, long delays in investigation and prosecution of cases, high level of connivance by MDAs with the contractors, especially for low-value contracts, could forestall project completion,” he said.

(NAN)