The Federal Executive Council has approved the amendment to the 2007 Public Procurement Act, aiming to modernize the 17-year-old law and enhance efficiency in infrastructural project execution.
The amendment, which has passed its first reading in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, seeks to eliminate delays and ensure timelines are adhered to from project conception to completion.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this after the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.
The Council also stepped down memos from the Ministry of Works requiring augmentation and variations for further reviews, according to BusinessDay.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, emphasized the need for a dynamic legal framework to address project delays.
He explained that the amended Act will ensure projects are executed within budget cycles, avoiding unnecessary variations and augmentations.
To streamline the process, the Ministers of Finance, Economy, Budget, and Planning, and Works have been tasked with serving as a clearing house for projects before presentation to FEC.
This move aims to enhance coordination and efficiency in project execution.
Lateef Fagbemi, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, in his remark, stated that “ law is dynamics we are looking at timelines, within confirmations are not given to projects
“We want to ensure that whatever is coming to the FEC is in line with the budgetary provisions Some of the projects have been there for close to 13 years.
“The timelines are being worked out and streamlined, because these projects have been there for several years, they now require either a variation, augmentation or review.”
