E-procurement Will Address Constituency Project Duplication

Magdalene Ukuedojor
Jul, Tue, 2025

General News

E-procurement will address constituency project duplication — Expert

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By Magdalene Ukuedojor

Dr Abdulrasheed Abdullahi, a procurement expert, says advancing electronic procurement (e-procurement) will address duplications in instituting constituency projects across Nigeria.

E-procurement is the centralised management of procurement and supply chain processes using online platforms, electronic tools and systems to handle all or part of the procurement lifecycle, from sourcing and purchasing to invoicing and payment.

Abdullahi, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said the digital transformation of traditional procurement processes will aid seamless and transparent collation and implementation of projects.

“The major issue around that is policy integration and coordination because it doesn’t make sense to be having duplicating efforts while going through these processes.

“But if we are to imbibe some of these new emerging paradigms like that of e-procurement, where government spending is going to be on one single system that is all interlinked, we can easily identify all the projects that will be undertaken.

“In that instance, we can know if we are having duplicates or not, and then we will not be having duplicated efforts.

“For instance, having, let’s say, one lawmaker having constituency projects like developing skill acquisition centres and then the senator from that same constituent is also developing the same project.”

He also advocated sustainable procurement that would prioritise environmental, people-oriented, gender and all other considerations.

“There’s this move towards sustainable development generally, and there’s the concept of Sustainable Development Goals.

“So, what procurement as an instrument for good governance and national development can be, we can utilise sustainability as a concept.

“There’s this new concept now of sustainable public procurement and sustainability is about three pillars generally- the economic pillar, the social pillar and the environmental pillar.

“So, in implementation of procurement, it’s not just considerations about how much it’s going to cost but what is the environmental impact and then what is the social implication.

“So, in that instance, when we are considering these three factors, that’s when it becomes sustainable in nature.”

He further explained the green, social and economic aspects of procurement for well-rounded interventions and management.

“Green public procurement is another concept where the major consideration is on the environmental pillar of sustainable public procurement.

“In the instance of green public procurement, what the major consideration is, is that public entities procure goods and services that will have minimal impact on the environment, negative impact on the environment.

“Then for the social aspect, it’s about socially responsible public procurement, where some social considerations like carrying along people with disability, gender equality, issues relating to sexual harassment; all these are considered while the procurement is being undertaken.”

Abdullahi, therefore, called on procurement officers to upscale, rescale and develop their capacity on modern concepts of sustainable procurement to remain relevant in the sector.

“Part of the concepts that we have now relating to e-procurement, sustainable procurement, all these are to address the issues that we have.

“Normally as it is now, most processes are manual-based and then these are error prone, tedious and time consuming then they are even susceptible to corrupt practices.

“So, when we can develop our skills, my advice to procurement or civil servants is to try as much as possible to upscale, rescale, develop your capacity because these concepts are here to stay.

“The truth is, if you don’t improve, you will be phased out.” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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