The civil society organization Transparency and Anti-Corruption Campaign in Africa (TRACA) has called for strict compliance with Civil Service Rules (CSR) in the leadership transition at the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

This call was made in a statement signed by TRACA’s Executive Director, Samuel Orovwuje.

Orovwuje alleged a breach of regulations during the handover process by the former Director-General of BPP, Mr. Ahmadu Mamman, who was recently removed from office by President Bola Tinubu. TRACA insists that the most senior officer in the Bureau, Adebowale Adedokun, should take over as stipulated in the Civil Service Rules.

President Tinubu had fired Mamman on June 14 and directed that the most senior officer in BPP should immediately take over. However, Mamman handed over to a pool officer from the Federal Ministry of Justice, who was appointed as the Director of the Legal Unit just last year, thereby ignoring the presidential directive. This decision has caused unrest among the BPP staff, who are demanding a reversal.

TRACA stated, “As a transparency group, we cannot allow this corrupt move by the DG to stand,” emphasizing that Mamman’s decision contradicts a 2019 circular from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. This circular mandates that the outgoing CEO must hand over to the next most senior officer unless the officer has pending disciplinary issues.

The organization highlighted that adherence to this directive is crucial for maintaining organizational integrity and compliance with established protocols.

They argued that appointing the Director of Legal, who lacks procurement expertise and is not a core staff member, undermines the directive and President Tinubu’s efforts to reorganize the procurement system for greater efficiency and transparency.

TRACA’s statement noted that Mamman delayed the handover process and eventually handed over to the Director of Legal on June 21, 2024, after rescheduling twice. This action, according to TRACA, disregarded the President’s directive and the recommendation from the Head of Admin, who had suggested Dr. Adebowale A. Adedokun as the acting Director-General.

The organization pointed out that, by Civil Service practice, Directors of Legal, Auditors, and Accounts from other MDAs cannot act as Accounting Officers of MDAs, as they serve as pool officers.

TRACA calls for an investigation to prevent similar occurrences in the future and demands an immediate review and reversal of this decision to restore confidence in due process and prevent corruption within the BPP and the civil service at large.