By Sylvia Akpan: Government House Correspondent
Chairmen and officials of the 18 Local Government Areas of Cross River State, on Thursday commenced a training on measures to strengthen transparency, accountability, and efficiency in procurement processes at the grassroots level with a call to ensure good governance.
The training, which comes amidst increasing calls for transparency in the handling of federal allocations to the Council administrations in the past fiscal year was described as timely and strategic by the Director General of the Department of Due Process and Price Intelligence Bureau of the Cross River State Government, Charles Atu.
For Mr. Atu, the trainees who include the Heads of Local Government Administration, HOLGAs who oversee the bureaucracy at the local government level, procurement officers, auditors, directors, heads of departments, among others, are custodians of public trust, hence the need to be careful in dealings.
“Procurement is more than a transactional activity; it is a catalyst for community development, job creation, and environmental responsibility. Every contract awarded is an opportunity to strengthen our local economies,” Atu said, while stressing that transparent, value-for-money procurement remains critical to sustaining public confidence and safeguarding essential services.
This, he said, was designed to reposition the councils to manage public resources in line with global best practices.
According to him, the theme of the workshop, “Building Resilience and Sustainability in Public Procurement Across Local Government Councils of Cross River State,” reflects the urgent need for local governments to anticipate challenges, manage risks, and ensure that every public fund spent delivers long-term economic, social, and environmental value as the training would expose participants to best practice frameworks aligned with the Public Procurement Law and due process guidelines, case studies from councils that have successfully implemented due process, and practical sessions on procurement tools, risk assessment, and performance monitoring.
Recall that, a former presidential aide, Okoi Obono-Obla Esq, recently approached the High Court of Cross River State seeking to mandate the Yakurr Local Government Council to publish its financial records for the past year.
Similarly, rights activist, Odey Oyama has written the Ikom Local Government Council requesting for similar information amidst claims that internally generated revenue has increased alongside federal allocations to councils – a windfall from the partial removal of subsidies for premium motor spirit.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Felix Idem, believes the training workshop is a critical step towards deepening integrity and professionalism in local government administration.
Mr. Idem, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Caroline Asikpo, emphasized that every procurement decision taken at the local government level directly affects the lives of citizens, making it imperative for officials to adhere strictly, to due process, fairness, and equity.
He urged participants, particularly those responsible for procurement and due process to comply with existing laws and guidelines and champion best practices that strengthen public trust and improve governance outcomes.
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