The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has asked Nigeria’s tertiary institutions to seek its approval for all contractual expenditures.
The bureau’s Director-General/CEO, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, said the directive was to curb financial irregularities and strengthen transparency in public spending.
He spoke on Monday during a stakeholder engagement with heads of tertiary institutions, agencies, bursars, and procurement directors in Abuja.
Procurement can make or mar you. It is an enabler, not a stumbling block,” he said, insisting that the BPP must approve all spending in tertiary institutions and that the outcomes of tenders must be duly communicated to their governing councils.
Dr. Adedokun further warned against the unauthorized replacement of procurement officers, stressing that no institution has the right to make such changes without the Bureau’s approval.
He also condemned the practice of awarding contracts based on preliminary designs or engaging external consultants when qualified in-house officers are available, describing such actions as violations of procurement law. He reiterated the Bureau’s commitment to promoting transparency, accountability, and efficiency in public procurement, adding that compliance with established procedures is non-negotiable. In his address to the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the BPP Director-General also directed that the Ministry of Education, like all other ministries, must begin submitting quarterly reports of all contracts awarded to the Bureau for review. This, he said, will enhance oversight, ensure value for money, and strengthen integrity across government-funded projects.
Meanwhile, the federal government has announced that future funding and support for Nigeria’s tertiary institutions will now depend on their transparency and accountability performance.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this in Abuja during the launch of the Federal Tertiary Institutions Governance and Transparency Portal (FTIGTP), describing the initiative as a “new dawn of transparency and accountability” in the education sector.
The FTIGTP, a digital reform tool, aims to transform how universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education report and manage public funds.
Dr. Alausa stated that institutions demonstrating responsible financial management, timely reporting, and efficient resource use will henceforth receive priority in government funding and intervention. “We can no longer continue to fund opacity,” he stressed.
He explained that the platform ends decades of fragmented data management by providing a unified, real-time system covering student enrolment, funding, TETFund allocations, research grants, and performance indicators.
The FTIGTP, he added, is more than a data tool—it’s a reform mechanism for better planning, budgeting, and international credibility.
The minister emphasized that all institutions must comply by submitting accurate data every first quarter of the year, noting that transparency metrics will directly influence access to grants and interventions.
