Vice President Kashim Shettima has said that the reforms being implemented by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are steadily restoring international confidence in Nigeria, as evidenced by increasing foreign participation in professional programmes within the country.
Shettima made this known on Thursday at the inaugural Convocation Ceremony of the Nigeria Procurement Certification Programme held at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Represented at the event by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, the Vice President noted that the graduation of the first cohort of certified procurement professionals marked a major milestone in the implementation of the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to Shettima, the presence of professionals from outside Nigeria in the programme underscored renewed global trust in the credibility and direction of the country’s reform efforts.
He disclosed that a total of 2,100 procurement professionals from Nigeria and other countries were celebrated at the convocation, describing the achievement as clear evidence of Nigeria’s deliberate effort to position itself as a continental benchmark for excellence in public procurement.
The Vice President explained that procurement, which was once treated as a routine administrative process and often abused, has now assumed a central role in governance under the present administration.
He stressed that the successful transformation of public resources into critical infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, schools, security facilities and social services depends largely on effective procurement practices, warning that failures in procurement ultimately translate into stalled development and hardship for citizens.
Shettima said prudent, transparent and strategic management of public resources is the engine room of development under the Renewed Hope Agenda, adding that the quality of infrastructure, healthcare delivery, education and public trust in government are directly shaped by the strength of procurement systems.
He described the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) as a key driver of the reform process, with responsibilities extending beyond regulation to building a professional, ethical and competent procurement workforce.
Addressing the graduands, the Vice President urged them to see themselves as pioneers and custodians of national trust, charging them to uphold integrity, transparency and patriotism in the discharge of their duties.
He noted that while their work may not always make headlines, their decisions would have far-reaching effects on the daily lives of Nigerians across communities and institutions.
Shettima congratulated the BPP, the leadership of the SPESSE Project, the World Bank and other development partners, saying the certification programme would strengthen institutions, rebuild public trust and advance Nigeria’s development goals.
Earlier, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Procurement, Senator Olajide Ipinsagba, pledged the National Assembly’s continued support for the sustainability of the programme, urging the graduands to maintain the highest ethical standards.
He said the initiative had laid a solid foundation for a more transparent and efficient public service, positioning procurement as a catalyst for national development.
In his remarks, Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, said the programme was designed to promote sustainable capacity building and entrench a strong procurement culture in the public service.
He revealed that President Tinubu had approved the full deployment of community-based procurement officers nationwide to align Nigeria’s procurement system with global best practices and ensure prudent use of public funds.
Also speaking, the National Project Coordinator of the SPESSE Project, Dr Joshua Attah, described the programme as a historic step towards strengthening accountability in public procurement, noting that Centres of Excellence in Procurement had trained over 40,000 candidates through various certification and capacity-building platforms.
World Bank Chief Procurement Officer, Ms Hiba Tahboub, commended the Federal Government for its sustained investment in procurement reforms and urged other African countries to emulate Nigeria’s structured approach to professionalising public procurement.