General
BPP, NASENI Sign MoU on Speedy Implementation of Nigeria First Policy
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the implementation of the Nigeria First Policy.
Speaking at the signing in Abuja on Monday, the Director-General of BPP, Mr Adebowale Adedokun, said the partnership would promote local manufacturing, technology, innovation and economic growth in Nigeria, noting that the Nigeria First Policy promotes the use of local content and indigenous solutions to address national challenges.
Mr Adedokun said the deal aimed to create a structured bridge between production and procurement, prioritising locally made solutions in public service delivery, which would promote value for money in public procurement.
“Today, we are not just signing an agreement. We are building a pipeline from Nigerian innovation to national transformation.
“The MoU we sign today aims to align our policies with our priorities. It gives practical force to the Nigeria First Policy.
“NASENI’s innovations, from tractors to tablets, from surveillance drones to solar backup systems, will now be actively prioritised in the procurement plans of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
“We are institutionalising a framework that makes local options not just preferable, but the default option before all others.”
He emphasised that the partnership was not an act of protectionism but an act of patriotism grounded in performance, as NASENI had invested in quality assurance with its products certified by Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and NAFDAC.
The DG said the role of BPP was to ensure that standards were rewarded with access and that MDAs no longer needed to look outside when the best was being made in Nigeria.
He said the bureau was backing its commitment with NASENI with reform actions.
Mr Adedokun said the BPP would integrate NASENI’s catalogue into the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO), making NASENI’s offerings visible, verifiable, and measurable across all MDAs.
“Between January and June 2025 alone, NOCOPO’s enhanced price intelligence helped Nigeria save over N173 billion equivalent to $155 million and €1.7 million.
“These are not just savings on paper. They are savings that free up resources for more schools, hospitals, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises.”
He added that the BPP and NASENI had set up a Technical Working Committee to synchronise production timelines with procurement cycles, which would track outcomes, identify bottlenecks, and ensure continuous improvement.
Adedokun commended NASENI for its efforts in putting Nigerian-made innovation on the map while calling on other MDAs to prioritise their products.
“I call on other sectors beyond NASENI to also come up with their own strategy for implementing Nigeria First. NASENI has led. I expect others to follow.
“To citizens, I invite you to track these procurements on NOCOPO. Your vigilance ensures our accountability.
“We have to really realise that today’s event is such that it can change our local industries, the small and medium-scale enterprises. It can change how women and youths are viewed in terms of industrialisation.”
On his part, Mr Khalil Halilu, Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO of NASENI, said the MoU was expected to attract more investments into the country and promote local manufacturing.
He said the agreement would provide priority patronage to companies that partner with NASENI.
“The MoU further strengthens our efforts, pushing the Nigerian First Policy, and we look forward to assembling more locally made items as well as promoting more industrialisation in the country.”
He noted that NASENI had received no fewer than 900 applications from companies to partner with them in the past one and a half years, because of its rebranding and new partnerships.
“This has resulted in the development of no fewer than 50 market-ready products, and we have a showroom on the Kubwa Expressway which will be showcased at our unveiling event soon.”
Mr Halilu also emphasised the importance of protecting local industries and promoting local manufacturing to prevent Nigeria from becoming a dumping ground for imported goods.
He said the agency was working on building the biggest renewable park in the region in Keffi, and had taken a portion of Abuja Industrial Park, and Abuja Technology Village to build electronics and electronic vehicles, adding that the agency had successfully attracted technology transfer and investment into the country.
He added that the agency’s policies were gender-friendly and inclusive, with women and youth forming part of its workforce.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Economic Council (NEC) has approved a $4.5 billion arrangement for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited aimed at strengthening the country’s external reserves and freeing up funds for infrastructure.
This is part of the refinancing of the $3.3 billion Project Gazelle Pre-Export Finance Facility through a new $4.5 billion facility named “Project Gazelle 2”.
The approval allows NNPC Limited to refinance the outstanding balance of approximately $1.5 billion under the original 2023 facility, while unlocking an additional $3 billion in liquidity to strengthen the country’s external reserves and support ongoing fiscal and infrastructure priorities of the government.
NEC’s approval followed a presentation by the Minister of Finance, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, which was presented by the Chairman of the Council, Vice President Kashim Shettima, underscoring the importance of the project.
NEC observed the significance of unlocking additional liquidity to the federation, among other benefits, pledging its support for the actualisation of the initiative.
The Finance Minister explained that the refinancing has been structured on more favourable terms than the original facility, including a reduction in the volume of pledged crude oil from 90,000 barrels of oil per day to approximately 78,750 barrels of oil per day – a 12.5 per cent reduction.
He noted that under the new arrangement, an additional 11,250 barrels of oil per day for the federation will be released, while there will be a reduction in the pledged crude volumes by the state oil company.
Mr Oyedele added that while accessing additional liquidity on improved terms, the arrangement is freeing up resources for strategic national priorities while strengthening the country’s financing structures.
“The arrangement is freeing up resources for strategic national priorities while strengthening the country’s financing structures,” he said.
VP Shettima called for a responsive, scalable, and data-driven social protection policy to tackle multidimensional poverty in Nigeria.
According to Mr Shettima, government policies are often heard before they are seen, speak through the price of food, condition of hospitals, records in schools, strain on families, the confidence of those who invest their labour in the nation’s future, and, very importantly, the ambitions of state governments.
He implored members of Council to ensure that every decision they make assure the citizens “that their government is paying attention to the pulse of the nation and is resolved to respond with competence, compassion and purpose.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Members of the public have been invited to submit memoranda and policy proposals on the proposed National Policing Bill.
The Chairman of the Working Group, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, announced this on Monday after the team’s meeting at the State House in Abuja.
The group, headed by the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, is calling for input from Nigerians as part of efforts to establish a comprehensive legal and operational framework for state policing.
It is reviewing the Police Act 2020, the Police Service Commission framework, police regulations, and other relevant laws to support the development of an effective, modern policing system.
The proposed framework will set national minimum standards, define state readiness and grant certification, clarify jurisdictional responsibilities, ensure independent oversight, uphold human rights, and guarantee sustainable funding. It would also spell out an orderly transition to a dual-policing structure.
The call for memoranda will run for two weeks, allowing citizens, professionals, civil society, security agencies, state and local governments, academics, and other stakeholders to contribute. Submissions will be reviewed and integrated into the draft bill, which will then be subject to further national consultation before being finalised and sent to the National Assembly.
The Working Group has adopted a seven-week work programme running from July 27 to September 14, 2026. The draft Executive Bill is scheduled for presentation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on September 3, 2026, with national consultations to follow before the final approval.
The new National Policing Bill will set out requirements for recruitment, training, oversight, funding, and transition arrangements to ensure credible, effective, and accountable policing nationwide.
“A proposed State Police Service must demonstrate that it has credible arrangements for recruitment, vetting, training, pay, pensions, equipment, custody, complaints, discipline, data, firearms control, independent oversight and financial sustainability before it begins policing,” Mr Gbajabiamila said.
The representative of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, who described State Police as a landmark reform, described the initiative as one of the defining reforms of President Tinubu’s administration.
Responding to concerns about federal overreach, he clarified that there is no Federal attempt to control State Police. He added that the proposed legislation is intended to provide an operational framework rather than centralise control.
Prince Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, said the proposed National Policing Bill is designed to guarantee the security of lives and property while ensuring that the establishment of state police does not become a tool for political persecution.
The Attorney-General added that states not immediately ready to establish their own police services would continue to benefit from the presence of the Federal Police until they meet the required standards.
Other participants at the meeting included the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu; President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe; Chairman, Policy Advisory Committee, Justice Abdullahi Liman (rtd); Professor Olu Ogunsakin, Head, Nigeria Police Reform Secretariat; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Planning and Research, Nnadubem Moghalu; and Brigadier General Olutayo Muyiwa Adesuyi, representing the National Security Adviser.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says it recorded a 30 per cent reduction in gas imbalance on the country’s Western Network following the conclusion of its first-half 2026 Nigerian Gas Network Reconciliation (NGNR) Workshop.
The workshop brought together gas transporters, suppliers, shippers and off-takers to reconcile gas volumes traded between January and June 2026, while introducing a Network Entry/Exit Point Measurement Infrastructure Audit Template aimed at improving metering accuracy and accountability across the gas transmission network.
In a communiqué issued after the workshop, the authority said participants also reviewed the performance of the Nigerian Gas Transmission Network, assessed progress on major pipeline infrastructure projects, and received updates on the ELPS Gas Shrinkage Factor and Hydraulic Modelling Project.
Discussions focused on addressing metering gaps, improving network visibility through Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) integration, and enhancing system reliability ahead of the commissioning of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Pipeline System.
The workshop adopted key resolutions, including the execution of outstanding Network Exit Agreements, mandatory submission of measurement audit templates and closer collaboration among industry stakeholders to improve network pressure management.
Speaking at the closing session on behalf of the authority’s chief executive, Mr Rabiu A. Umar, the Director of Transportation Systems and Networks, Mr Joseph G. Musa, said the biannual reconciliation exercise had become critical to promoting equitable gas transactions, transparency, investor confidence and efficient network operations.
Mr Musa noted that since the NGNR process was introduced in 2023, it had significantly improved gas measurement, strengthened regulatory compliance through consequence management, reduced operational imbalances and contributed to a more reliable domestic gas supply.
The workshop concluded with participants adopting the reconciled H1 2026 gas volumes, reaffirming the authority’s commitment to a transparent, efficient and reliable domestic gas market.
