It seems from all indications that the activities of the Director-General of the Raw Materials Research Development Council (RMRDC) a foremost institution whose activities should have supported the acceleration and actualization of the President Bola Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda for real sector development, is giving impetus to the word Kakistocrats, which is defined as “system by the worst, least qualified or unscrupulous citizen”.
This description aptly fits the present situation in the Raw Materials Research Development Council (RMRDC) which has been embroiled in numerous contraventions ranging from the allegations of lack of the constitutional provision to the position of Director General levelled against Professor Martin Ike-Munso, an economist and technical adviser to the Hon Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology (FMIST).
A matter serious enough to attract the attention of the National Assembly, which lead to the setting up of an investigative panel on the qualifications and appropriateness of the appointees of some key Agencies of the Ministry, such as the Raw Materials Research Development Council (RMRDC) National Space Research Development Agency (NASRDA) and Energy Commission of Nigeria ECN. All of which are presently allegedly headed by unqualified cronies of the Hon Minister, who himself is embroiled in accusations of certificate forgery. it is quite instructive that neither the Hon Minister nor the invited Director Generals honoured the invitation of the investigative panel of the House of Representatives, clearly raising questions about the forces who are protecting them.
While the issue of his qualification is still raging, a document from a civil society group calling the attention of the Office of the Senate President, Speaker House of Representatives, Bureau of Public Procurement, (BPP) EFCC, Up speaking the urgent action arresting the reckless and non-adherence to all the provisions of the Procurement Act, 2022 and the Financial Regulations 2009 on the awards of contracts for both goods and services amounting to approximately N92, 555,462.50 by the Director General/CEO of Raw Materials Research Development Council (RMRDC) Professor Martin Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso within the short period of his assumption of office from 21st May 2024-Date.
Prof. Martin Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso
The document listed the Awards of contracts totalling over N300,000,000.00 to 3 companies namely, Chriscord Integrated Services for the supply of 33,000 litres of diesel amounting to N61,050,000, Supply of Furnitures at RMRDC HQ for Director Generals Office Phase 1 & 2 awarded to JKANT Limited, amounting to N89, 741,000, Renovation of the Director Generals Office at RMRDC Headquarters Abuja awarded to JKANT, amounting to N99,501,462.50 and the provision of cleaning services at the RMRDC Headquarters Abuja Awarded to Fichee Facilities Limited, amounting to 42,263,000
The document showed proof that in awarding the listed contracts, the Director General did not adhere to the approved demands;
(i) There was no procurement planning as required by law, the Procurement Planning Committee (PPC) of the council did not meet nor has any PPC meeting been held in the council since the assumption of office of the Director General on the 21st of May, 2024
(ii) There was no tenders board meeting as required by law and none of the contracts were captured in the 2023/2024 budget of the council
(iii) The required “No Objection to contract award “was neither sought nor gotten from the Bureau of Public Procurement
(iv) No advertisements or publications in Tenders Journal as required to ensure competitive bidding was done by the council before the awards
(v) Full payments have been authorized and made to the contractors even as the jobs are yet to be completed
It also listed the specific sections of both the Public Procurement Act,2007 and Financial Regulations, that the DG breached in the awards of the listed contracts as,
i. subsections, 16 (1)(b), (c), (g), which states that all public procurement shall be conducted “based only on procurement plans supported by prior budgetary appropriations and no procurement proceedings shall be formalized until the procuring entity has ensured that funds are available to meet the obligations and subject to the threshold in the regulations made by the Bureau, has obtained a “Certificate of ‘No Objection’ to Contract Award” from the Bureau, by open competitive bidding and in accordance with the procedures and timeline laid down in this Act and as may be specified by the Bureau from time to time
ii. Section 5 subsection 17(a)(i); the approving authority for the conduct of public procurement in the case of the government agency, parastatal, or corporation, shall be a Parastatals Tenders Board.
iii. Section 5 subsection 18(e), (g); “a procuring entity shall plan its procurement by integrating its procurement into its yearly budget. It shall ensure the procurement entity functions as stipulated in the Act are carried out by the procurement planning committee.”
iv. Section 5 subsection 19(a) (d) (h): “A procuring entity shall, in implementing its procurement plans, advertise and solicit for bids in adherence to the Act and guidelines and obtain approval of the approving authority before making an award, and obtain a “Certificate of ‘No Objection’ to Contract Award” from the Bureau “
v. Subsections 21 and 22: For each financial year each procuring entity shall establish a Procurement Planning Committee. The Tenders Board shall be responsible for the award of procurements of goods, works and services within the threshold set in the regulations
vi. Chapter 7, section 708 states that “on no account should payment be made for services not yet performed or for goods not yet supplied”.
Further scrutinization of the documents provided shows glaring administrative errors, such as the stamp acknowledging receipt of the proposal showing that the proposal was submitted and received in the council by the 10th of June, 2024; Minutes by the DG show that he approved quotation on the 6th June 2024; PPC Memo on the contract was raised on 27th May, 2024 (please note that the PPC Memo came before the quotation); the DGs minutes on the PPC Memo was on the 27th of May 2024 (weeks before the quotation was submitted; an award of contract letter is dated 30th May, 2024 (this means also that the contract was awarded before the quotation) and so much more, it behoves on the listed agencies to rise to this occasion and unravel this shenanigan as speedily as possible.
