Senate Moves To stop FEC From Approving Contracts

The Senate on Wednesday, January 13 2016 moves to stop Federal Executive Concil (FEC) to stop approving contracts.

This was said while the senators while deliberating on a motion titled: Urgent need to empanel the National Council on Public Procurement of Nigeria.

Ali Ndume, one of the sponsors of the motion and Senate leader strongly spoke against the council said the senate needs to encourage what is right.

He said: “The FEC is not supposed to be an awarding body. This government will welcome the idea that the senate is encouraging it to do the right thing and saddle with the responsibility to do what the Federal Executive Council is doing.

“We have to change the ways things are done so it can be done properly.

Adamu Aliero representing Kebbi central senatorial district who was also in support of what Ndume said the council should instead of awarding contracts, formulate policies that are meant to set direction and focus.

The senate also urged the federal government to urgently and officially set up the National Council of Public Procurement to give life and meaning to the Public Procurement Act. This is in order to achieve the laudable objectives for which the act came along.

Bukola Saraki, the Senate President who expressed his satisfaction in the motion said the council should be set up immediately.

He also said that the committees should look at the appropriate places for review.

Meanwhile, a bill for an act to amend the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund Act scaled second reading.

The bill seeks to promote commercial agriculture in Nigeria and ensure credit support for production, storage, processing of target commodities, markets ans enterprise development to provide concessionary funding for Agriculture and for other related matters.

It was refered to the committee on Agricuture to report back to th esenate in four weeks.