The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) have entered into a new partnership to strengthen the fight against corruption in Nigeria’s procurement processes. Both organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the NBA national secretariat in Abuja.
The Director General of BPP, Dr Adebowale A. Adedokun, FCIPS, ACFE, signed the MoU alongside the President of the NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN). Speaking during the signing, Adedokun described the collaboration as a significant step toward ensuring transparency, accountability, and trust in Nigeria’s procurement system.
He noted that the involvement of the NBA in procurement oversight marked an important milestone. “We are happy that we have accomplished this partnership. The partnership will build trust in Nigerian people. With the signing of this MoU, NBA and BPP will be well fortified to work for the Nigerian people. The MoU also shows how well BPP places the NBA in the scheme of things. Therefore, if the NBA is not playing a critical role, it means we are not ready for business because procurement is about the law,” Adedokun said.
The BPP boss explained that this MoU could still be updated in the future, emphasising the need to remove unfavourable terms in contract agreements. He stressed that while lawyers have the right to earn from their profession, they also have a responsibility to safeguard national resources. “While we are not averse to lawyers making money, we want them, more importantly, to save the country,” he added.
Adedokun also highlighted that Mazi Osigwe was the first NBA president, on record, to show strong interest in procurement, describing this as a sign of renewed hope for Nigeria. He said the deal represented a new phase in long-standing engagements aimed at boosting ethical standards within public procurement.
In his remarks, NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe recalled the earlier visit of the association’s leadership to the BPP office, where both sides had agreed in principle on training lawyers to become procurement professionals.
He explained that the NBA supported BPP’s goal of ensuring transparent procurement and preventing corruption in the system.
“Until we look at our procurement processes to ensure transparency and accountability, a significant portion of public funds used in public procurement will end up in private pockets,” Osigwe said.