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NEWS EXTRA

Lagos State PPA Holds Y2022 AGM/Stakeholders Forum

By Leo Ezekiel

The Lagos State Public Procurement Agency has pragmatically and uncommonly held her Y2022 Annual General meeting and Stakeholders Forum with the theme “The Customer King: Promoting User-Friendly Procurement in Lagos State” at the Event centre, Plot 1, Hakeem Balogun Street, Off Lateef Jakande Road, Central Business District (CBD), Ikeja, Lagos. Speaking as the Director-General, Lagos State Public Procurement Agency Mr. Fatai Idowu Onafowote states that he is pleasantly delighted to welcome all and sundry to the year 2022 edition of the Annual General Meeting and Stakeholders Forum organized by his office adding that the Annual General Meeting and Stakeholders Forum provides a platform for interaction and exchange of ideas between the Agency and the Stakeholders of the Agency as he also added that the Agency which did begin operation ten years ago has, no doubt recorded a landmark achievements which the stakeholders had generally concurred and applauded. 

Speaking further to the gathering he states that they cannot afford to rest on their oars adding that they must continuously review and innovate their policies, processes and procedures as he also added that the Agency cannot do it alone. He states that the AGM/Stakeholders Forum is therefore organized to enable the agency present its scorecard before the stakeholders and exchange ideas, with them with a view to further enhancing public procurement process in the State adding that he wishes to recall that in June 2021 when the AGM/Stakeholders Forum was held by the Agency, that it was reported 46 Ministries Departments and Agencies of the State had been on boarded on the e-procurement platform as he also added that he is pleasantly happy to announce that additional 56 MDAs have since been onboarded on the platform.

 He states that as the moment they have a total of 107 MDAs are therefore already integrated on the e-procurement platform. Speaking further, he states that the Agency is also required by the law setting her up to produce the Annual Report adding that he is delighted to announce that the year 2021 edition of the Annual report compiled by the agency shall be unveiled during the course of the AGM/Stakeholders Forum as he also added that the Annual Report contains data of contracts awarded by the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of the State Government in 2021. 

He states that the Publication of the Annual Report is to demonstrate Transparency and Accountability in the expenditure of tax payers money for the provision of goods and services for residents of the State by the State Government adding that he would like to express his profound appreciation to the State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo Olu for his continued support for the Agency and her Programmers as the supports have kept the Agency running well. He also appreciates the speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly RT. Hon Obasa, Chairman, House Committee on Procurement Hon. Rauf Olawole Age-Sulaimon and Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola Head of Service, Lagos State. Speaking as the keynote speaker the head of service to the Lagos State Government Mr Muri-Okunola who is pleasantly represented by Hundogan Sewanu Temitope states that the Agency has continued to perform excellently well in the discharge of her statutory responsibilities as regulator of public procurement in the state adding that without doubt, the Agency has been playing a valuable role in ensuring Transparency, Accountability and Value for Money in Public Expenditure in the State as he also added this has greatly assisted the State Government to meet her myriad of needs and provide goods and services for Lagosians. 

Speaking further to the gathering he states that though the adherence to Openness, Transparency, Competitiveness, Accountability and Innovativeness, hence, the Agency has further raised the bar of excellence in the Public procurement Law among service providers and other stakeholders adding that the efforts of the Agency have continued to bag the confidence of stakeholders and service providers now perceive the State Government as a partner in progress and are, therefore, more willing to do business with the State Government and discharge their civic duties to the State Government. 

The Head of Service Mr Muri Okunola dearly states that the theme “The Customer King: Promoting User Friendly Procurement in Lagos State” chosen by the Agency for The AGM/Stakeholders’ Forum year 2022 is the most apt as it is actually customer-centric disposition and resourcefulness of the management of the Agency that has largely accounted for its laudable successes as a regulator of the Public Procurement in the State. 

Speaking to the gathering with two caps on his head, one as the representative of the Honorable Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly RT. Hon. Obasa and as the Chairman, House Committee on Procurement Hon. Age Suliamon states that Nobody is above the law adding that the law that Lagos State House of Assembly deliberated at the floor of the house in March 2020 has been passed into law as he also added that the law favours the contractors in all ramifications. 

He states that the Lagos State House of Assembly is ever ready to keep the procurement policies for the contractors. Various Presenters did present case study on various topics like E-bidding by Head Monitoring Enforcement Compliance Department Procurement Agency Akintunde Subair who did extremely and exceedingly well with his submissions, the Special Adviser to the Chairman of Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) Hakeem Onasanya also did well with his presentations on employment opportunities in the State and the third Presenter Miss Adeola Sanwo also did well with her presentations. 

Two Contractors gave testimonies that their functions are very easy and seamless to operate. The panel discussion did throw more lights on grey areas of the procurement policies and processes. The ground breaking ceremony is when the year 2021 Annual Report unveiled by the Director General and other VIPs.