Shettima: Procurement Reforms Saved Nigeria Over N1.1trn

Nigeria's Vice President Kashim Shettima revealed that ongoing procurement reforms have saved the nation more than N1.1 trillion in 2025 alone. He made this announcement on Friday while delivering a keynote address at a retreat for Permanent Secretaries in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.

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so, far, 23 strategic initiatives and reforms aimed at improving transparency, accountability, and fiscal discipline in Nigeria have been introduced. And as at the last count, some of the reforms saved the federal government over ₦1.1 trillion in 2025 alone.

The retreat, themed "Strengthening Procurement Leadership and Accountability for Effective Budget Execution and National Development," is organized by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). Shettima, represented by Prof. Tunji Olaopa, Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, emphasized that the transformation at the BPP is a crucial institutional reform within the government's national development agenda.

He highlighted that 23 strategic initiatives and reforms have been introduced to enhance transparency, accountability, and fiscal discipline. Key reforms include threshold adjustments, which allow ministerial tender boards to manage contracts below N5 billion for goods/services and N10 billion for works, bypassing the Federal Executive Council. The "Nigeria First Policy" prioritizes locally manufactured goods and services that meet international standards. Additionally, institutional expansion has led to the approval of seven new zonal offices to strengthen compliance enforcement nationwide.

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Every road constructed, every hospital equipped, every school rehabilitated, every agricultural intervention implemented and every digital platform deployed passes through the procurement process. Therefore, the reforms reinforce the Federal Government’s commitment to fiscal discipline, transparency, and value for money under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Shettima stressed the central role of public procurement in national life, noting it accounts for a significant portion of public expenditure. He stated that these reforms reinforce the Federal Government's commitment to fiscal discipline, transparency, and value for money under the "Renewed Hope Agenda." The administration is committed to religiously following through with these reforms and ensuring compliance from all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). Defaulters will face appropriate sanctions, including prosecution.

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Our administration will follow through these reforms religiously and ensure that all MDAs comply”, he said. Thus, for him the government will not shy away from applying appropriate sanctions to defaulters, including prosecuting anyone who runs foul of the law.

"Procurement is no longer simply an administrative or compliance function," Shettima stated. "It is a strategic instrument for economic growth, a driver of industrial development, a tool for promoting local content, an enabler of infrastructure delivery, a mechanism for ensuring value for money, and above all, it is an instrument of public trust. When procurement works well, government delivers. When procurement fails, development suffers."

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When procurement works well, government delivers. When procurement fails, development suffers. The challenge before us, therefore, is not merely compliance with procurement procedures but strengthening procurement leadership.