ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF KADUNA STATE ARC MOHAMMED NAMADI SAMBO (fnia) AT THE DUE PROCESS SENSITIZATION SEMINAR FOR MEMBERS OF KADUNA STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND PERMANENT SECRETARIES HELD AT BANQUET HALL, STATE HOUSE, KAWO, KADUNA ON 9^TH AUGUST 2007

• Your Excellency the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State

• Rep of the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly

• The Secretary to The Government of Kaduna State

• The Head of Service of Kaduna State

• Members of Kaduna State Executive Council

• Members of The Senate And The House Of Representatives Here Present

• Honourableourable Members of The Kaduna State House of Assembly here Present

• Rep of The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC)

• Rep of the Acting Director General Bureau of Public Procurement Office of the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigerian and President Nigeria Society  of Engineers (NSE).

• The Permanent Secretaries of Kaduna State

• The resource persons

• Members of the Press

• Distinguished ladies and gentlemen.

I welcome you all to this sensitization seminar on the Application and Implementation of the Regulatory Framework for the Smooth Operation of the Bureau of Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence of the Kaduna State Public Procurement Initiatives (the Due Process).

Let me use this opportunity to make mention of our agile resource persons who are working tirelessly to ensure that the operational manual becomes a working tool by all sectors of the stakeholders in Kaduna State. May I at this juncture welcome the Chairman Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)  Mal. Nuhu Ribadu, The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC)   Justice Emmanuel Ayoola and the Acting Director General Bureau of Public Procurements Office of the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the current President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers Engr. Emeka Ezeh.. They deserve our commendation for the wonderful jobs they have been doing to ensure that our societies are not only crime free but that Due Process in all our dealings within and with the International Community is duly observed. Our respected consultant who is known as the Due Process Man in Nigeria Professor Kunle Ade Wahab has been of tremendous assistance in achieving our noble objective in the establishment of this important unit.

This seminar on Budget Implementation and Price Intelligence Mechanism has been prepared to set in motion the machinery for the very many series of socio-economic reforms of this administration as expressed in my maiden broadcast to the good people of Kaduna State on my assumption of office.

I have noted the progress that have been made by the previous administration especially the Federal Government in the area of economic reforms, in particular the successful  implementation of the Due Process mechanism and the savings made in the award of contracts in the first instance. For this reason, I foreclosed to emulate the progress made federally in embarking upon the reform of the Kaduna State economy including the establishment of procurement reforms through the introduction of such positive (Due Process) mechanism.

As a major policy thrust of this administration therefore, we have embraced all positive instruments as transparency, competition, fairness, integrity, openness and guaranteed value for money in the procurement processes and procedures at all times. In this connection, it is necessary to expose all arms of governance to the Due Process mechanism and seek the support of all our people for the implementation of the scheme.

Consequently, the various categories of stakeholders are earmarked for sensitization through training programmes, workshops and seminars.

My administration is aware of the several abuses to rules and standards in the award and execution of public contracts in Nigeria. The abuses range from over-invoicing, inflation of contracts, proliferation of white elephant projects, poor project delivery, over-payments as well as manipulation of the processes leading to the award of contracts. We are therefore convinced that the full implementation of these guidelines will subsequently reduce such abuses outlined above.

To ensure speedy, effective, efficient and timely implementation of these policing guidelines, the Board of the bureau has been put in place with a Chairman who doubles as a special adviser to the governor in the person of Arc. Aliyu Ibrahim Arab whom has since been appointed.               

The presence of the very Federal Government agencies saddled with similar tasks in this seminar signifies hope, cooperation and a prosperous future for the success of these programme as well as reflecting the mutual co-existence, solidarity and understanding that exist between the federal and State governments as partners in progress.

In conclusion, I wish to bring to your notice that the Bureau of Budget implementation, monitoring and price intelligence will subsequently embark on further sensitization of the Due Process Policy for the following;

1)           State Legislature

2)           State Judiciary

3)           Ministries Parastatal, Departments and all other government agencies

4)           Civil societies and politicians

5)           General contractors and consultants

It is also in our hope that on our successful implementation of this program at the State level, we shall extend same for adoption at the Local Government levels in the State.

I enjoin all and sundry to give the bureau all the necessary cooperation it deserves for the speedy implementation and success of the policy.

Governor Arch Mohammed Namadi Sambo is a true democrat, whose approach to problems is always humane and conciliatory he is a man of peace who patiently looked to the future with courage and hope. His commitment in the direction of transforming the state into a relatively better integrated and functional polity is continuing  with a mission  to create a stable  and cohesive polity capable of securing effectively the interests of the various communities and giving them the opportunity to develop and live in peace  with one another.