The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called on the Ministry of Steel Development and the Bureau of Public Procurement to ensure transparency and adherence to legal standards in the ongoing procurement process for selecting a Transaction Adviser to revitalise the Ajaokuta Steel Complex Limited (ASCL) and the National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO) in Itakpe.
In two separate letters signed by its Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the group expressed concerns over potential irregularities in the procurement process that might contravene the Public Procurement Act 2007, Public Procurement Regulations, and other standards of transparency and accountability.
Given the strategic economic significance of ASCL and NIOMCO, CISLAC emphasised the importance of a rigorous and transparent process in selecting a qualified adviser.
The organisation stressed that the process should uphold public trust, by strictly adhering to due process. CISLAC pointed out that the Request for Proposal (RFP) reportedly failed to specify the weight assigned to quality and cost factors, as required by Section 51(1) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, thus “undermining fairness in the selection process.”
Additionally, the group noted that the technical scores of bidders were not disclosed before opening financial proposals, which it stated, “violates Section 51(4) of the Act.”
According to CISLAC, omitting the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) from the procurement process raises concerns, as it “violates the ICRC Act, 2005, and statutory requirements for public-private partnerships.”
