The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has taken action to prevent corruption from occurring during the execution of projects and to make sure that beneficiary institutions strictly follow the public procurement procedures.
This was said by its Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, during a three-day workshop on building capacity for the fund's beneficiary institutions on the public procurement process.
The workshop was held at Kano's Amani Event Center and was sponsored by TETFund and the Public Procurement Bureau (BPP).
Vice chancellors, rectors, and provosts from tertiary institutions in the Northwest and Northeast attended the workshop.
Echono said: “The objective of this workshop, among others, is to equip the beneficiary tertiary institutions with the basic procurement processes towards addressing corrupt practices in all TETFund projects nationwide.”
The executive secretary noted that the workshop would serve as a refresher training for the fund’s desk officers in the 246 enlisted beneficiary tertiary institutions across the country.
To achieve the set objectives, Echono urged the participants to “utilise the opportunity and sharpen” their skills and experiences in public procurement law.
The Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Alhaji Mamman Ahmadu, stressed that “the capacity-building workshop is timely and geared towards attaining the provision of the public procurement Act”.
He added: “We are here today to build the capacity of accounting officers, principal officers, public officers, and other key players and stakeholders in the procurement value chain.”
The BPE boss warned TETFund beneficiary institutions against awarding contracts with insufficient funds.