Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun on Wednesday ordered the immediate cancellation of the tendering process for the engagement of Pre-Shipment Inspection and Monitoring Agents for Oil and Gas, to enforce a more transparent process.
The decision, it was learnt, was necessitated by the receipt of numerous complaints and a petition regarding alleged irregularities
in the process.
President Buhari had in June, mandated the Federal Ministry of Finance, under the then Permanent Secretary, Anastasia Nwoabia, to commence the process of engaging Pre-Shipment Inspection and monitoring agents.
But a statement from the finance ministry explained that upon the approval of the Bureau of Public Procurement, a selective tendering process was initiated under which 65 companies were selected and invited to bid.
However, since the inception of the process, numerous complaints were sent to the Federal Ministry of Finance, suggesting that the method by which the 65 companies were selected was faulty and lacked transparency.
In addition, a formal petition was received by the Bureau of Public Procurement, making specific allegations about the process.
Under Nigeria’s Public Procurement rules, the receipt of a formal petition requires a suspension of the tendering process to allow an investigation.
But in this instance, the minister chose to cancel it outright.
Justifying her decision, Adeosun said, “the sheer volume of complaints and the wide range of sources they emanated from, had raised a sufficient level of concern around the process to warrant a full cancellation rather than a suspension.
“This administration stands for transparency and accountability and it is therefore important that all procurements and tendering
exercises must be undertaken in accordance with best practices”.
Pre-Shipment Inspection of Oil and Gas Exports commenced in 2015 and requires a Clean Certificate of Inspection to be issued, confirming the volume and the value of all exports.
The programme is believed to have enhanced government revenues by preventing mis-statement and understatement by exporters, the statement signed by Marshall Gundu, Director (Press) in the finance ministry explained.
The Ministry stated that it was in consultation with the Bureau of Public Procurement to commence a new process and to ensure
interim arrangements for service provision.
The ministry said it would communocate the details of the new process shortly.
