By Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
THE Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has warned against what it described as a coordinated smear campaign targeting the leadership of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), cautioning that the effort is designed to derail ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s procurement system.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA said it had reviewed a document circulating as a “petition” by a relatively unknown group identifying itself as the Conference of Civil Society for Transparency and Accountability (COCTA), which claims to support earlier allegations made by one Musa Aliyu, Esq.
According to the association, intelligence available to it and preliminary assessments suggest that the document is not motivated by any genuine concern for transparency or accountability, but rather represents a poorly coordinated attempt by vested interests to distract and destabilise the Bureau under its current leadership.
HURIWA disclosed that credible information points to attempts by identifiable individuals within and around the BPP to pressure officials into issuing Certificates of No Objection without complying with statutory provisions of the Public Procurement Act.
These attempts, the group said, were firmly resisted by the Bureau’s leadership in strict adherence to the law.
The association observed that the refusal to compromise due process appears to have triggered a wave of petitions, media pressure and sponsored narratives.
HURIWA
It expressed concern over allegations that those behind the campaign are working with disgruntled former staff and external collaborators who were unsuccessful in previous bids for the Bureau’s top position
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