Former World Bank Vice President for Africa, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has advised the presidency to hands off public procurement in its bid to take a firm stand on the fight against corruption.
The former Minister made this suggestion at an interactive session on public procurement reforms in the House of Representatives with the focus on mitigating challenges against public procurement reforms in Nigeria.
According to her, it is only Nigerian Ministers, in comparison with their peers across the world, who meet with contractors to discuss contracts.
Dr Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education and also former head of the country’s Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit suggested some issues which she believes need some changes.
Admitting that corruption is a scourge on Nigeria, she however stated that the country can tackle it.
She said the country must make the treasury provide basic services for the people, tools they need to overcome poverty.
The former Minister ended her presentation by challenging the lawmakers to proactively ensure that those who flout the rules of procurement in the country are prosecuted.
This according to her is power they (the lawmakers) have and have not been utilizing.
Meanwhile the chairman of the House committee on Public Procurement, Representative Olajumoke Okoya Thomas, said solution and remedies are what is needed.