Civil society organisations (CSOs) and media practitioners in Anambra State have called for greater transparency in public procurement, urging the state government to make contract information more accessible to enable citizens to monitor the use of public funds.
The groups also called for stronger oversight of procurement processes through the effective operation of the Council on Public Procurement and stricter enforcement of procurement regulations by the Anambra State Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
The demands were contained in a communiqué issued after a public procurement capacity-building programme organised under the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC II) Programme, with support from International IDEA.
The training, held in Awka, brought together members of the CSOs/Media Accountability and Anti-Corruption Initiative to examine procurement procedures, regulatory responsibilities, approval thresholds and mechanisms for citizen oversight.
The coalition urged the Anambra State Government to proactively publish procurement plans, tender notices, bidding opportunities and contract awards on the state’s e-Procurement Portal and other publicly accessible platforms.
It said timely disclosure of procurement information would enable citizens, journalists and civil society organisations to independently track public contracts from the bidding stage through implementation.
The organisations also called for the proper constitution and adequate funding of the Council on Public Procurement, saying the body should provide strategic direction and effective oversight of procurement activities across the state.
They further urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as local government authorities, to operate strictly within their approved procurement thresholds, arguing that compliance would prevent institutional overreach and strengthen accountability.
The coalition tasked the Bureau of Public Procurement with intensifying compliance monitoring, providing clearer guidance to procuring entities and taking appropriate action against violations of procurement laws.
It also appealed to the Anambra State House of Assembly and Local Government Legislative Councils to strengthen oversight of government contracts and projects to ensure public spending aligns with approved budgets and procurement regulations.
The groups advocated a more formal role for civil society organisations in procurement monitoring, recommending that CSOs be recognised as observers at appropriate stages of the procurement process and granted timely access to relevant information.
According to the coalition, greater citizen participation would boost public confidence in the procurement system and help identify irregularities before they become entrenched.
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It stressed that the state’s procurement law should be fully implemented rather than remain merely a legal framework without effective enforcement.
The coalition therefore urged the state government and relevant procurement institutions to ensure that contracts are awarded through transparent, competitive and accountable processes, while promptly investigating and addressing breaches of procurement laws.
The participating organisations pledged to intensify monitoring of public procurement and government projects, promote public awareness of citizens’ rights to access government information, monitor the functionality of the state’s e-Procurement Portal and use the media to encourage informed public debate on government expenditure.
They also committed to sustaining engagement with public institutions on procurement reforms and documenting procurement-related concerns for appropriate action.
The coalition commended the RoLAC II State Coordinator, Dr Josephine Onah, for facilitating the training, as well as Barr. Chukwuma Chinaka, who served as facilitator.
The communiqué, endorsed by 17 civil society and media organisations, maintained that stronger procurement oversight, improved public disclosure, compliance with approved thresholds and independent citizen monitoring would reduce corruption risks, improve value for money and strengthen public confidence in the management of state resources.
