The Centre for Social Justice Advocacy, a civil society organisation, has raised an alarm over alleged plans by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to award over N60 billion worth of contracts through selective tendering, a move that the organisation warns could foster corruption and damage the nation’s economy.

In a letter dated August 5, 2024, addressed to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abubakar Garba Abdulrahman, the executive director of the Centre, highlighted what he described as an “anti-economic plot” within the REA.

“This is to bring to your notice a corrupt and anti-economic plot to award over N60bn worth of Capital Project Contracts in Rural Electrification Agency through selective tendering instead of open competitive bidding,” the letter reads in part.

According to Abdulrahman, the agency is reportedly planning to bypass the open competitive bidding process, which is mandated by the procurement act, in favour of selective tendering for contracts worth over N60 billion.

The letter noted that the federal government allocated N170 billion to the REA in the 2024 budget for various capital projects, which are intended to be awarded to qualified contractors through a transparent and competitive process.

However, the Centre alleged that the REA has only advertised a fraction of these projects in select national newspapers on two occasions, May 27, 2024, and July 22, 2024, while withholding the bulk of the contracts for selective tendering.

“We equally believe that it’s to your knowledge that REA authorities have advertised few of the jobs in select national newspapers on two occasions, both on May 27, 2024 and July 22, 2024.

“What we don’t know is whether you are conversant with REA authorities’ decision to advertise the works in the agency’s budget in piecemeal in order to award over N60bn worth of contracts under the table,” the letter stated.

Abdulrahman noted that selective tendering is only permissible under emergency conditions, which, he asserted, do not exist in this case.

He warned that such a process is prone to corruption, cronyism, and could lead to the misappropriation of unspent budgetary funds by corrupt officials in collusion with certain contractors.

Given the current economic challenges facing Nigeria, the group urged the BPP and EFCC to intervene and ensure that all contracts are awarded through open competitive bidding. This, they believe, would promote transparency, fairness, and efficiency in the procurement process.

“We call on you to use your good office to stop the selfish plan by your colleague government officials to shun open competitive bidding that would stimulate the economy for any covert arrangement in matter involving over N60bn worth of contracts in REA,” it stated.

All efforts to get the response of the agency were futile. The agency failed to reply to email and SMS sent by our correspondent at the time of filing this report. (BusinessDay)