Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has signed the state Public Procurement Bill into Law, re-affirming his commitment to due process and accountability in governance.
Speaking at the ceremony yesterday, Oshiomhole said “the essence of the law is to consolidate and institutionalize transparency, accountability, due process and above all to ensure that tax payers get value for money.
“Under the law we are expected to publish government contracts, we are obliged to ensure truly competitive bidding, we are obliged to ensure that contracts are properly scrutinized and the overall objective is that at the end of the day government business and procurement would be more transparent,” the governor said.
Mr. Oshiomhole said the law is to ensure probity and its sustenance “provides for people who are not in government in the civil societies to be co-opted into the agency”.
He explained that the purpose of the law is to remove the discretion in the hands of the executive and anyone making procurement in Edo State in any arm of government.
“It is my hope that with the coming into effect of this law, it will help to consolidate the gains that have been made in good governance, the efforts we have made to ensure that there is competitive bidding and that contracts are properly priced and they are handled by competent contractors”, he added.
He thanked the Speaker and other members of the state assembly “for treating the Bill with all seriousness and for the thorough job you have done.”
He assured the Speaker and the people of the State that “being an executive bill, the executive will have no option than to comply with the letter and spirit of this law.”
