By Perpetua Onuegbu
Abuja: Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called for transparency and adherence to legal standards in the process of selecting a transaction adviser for revitalisation of Ajaokuta Steel Complex Limited.
Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani, made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday.
Rafsanjani said that he had written separate letters to the Federal Ministry of Steel Development and Bureau of Public Procurement on the need for transparency in the revitalisation of the facility.
He also called for transparency in the procurement of National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO) in Itakpe.
Rafsanjani expressed concerns over potential irregularities in the procurement process which, he said, might contravene the Public Procurement Act, 2007 and Public Procurement Regulations.
“Given the strategic economic significance of ASCL and NIOMCO, CISLAC emphasises the importance of a rigorous and transparent process in selecting a qualified adviser.
“The organisation underscores that the process should uphold public trust by strictly adhering to due process to ensure the selection of the most competent adviser.
“CISLAC points 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,” he said.
According to him, this has undermined fairness in the selection process.
“Additionally, CISLAC notes that the technical scores of bidders were not disclosed before opening financial proposals, thus violating Section 51(4) of the Act,” it added.
Rafsanjani said that the absence of explicit evaluation criteria in the RFP also contravened Section 46(1)(e), thereby potentially allowing arbitrary scoring.
“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.
“This exclusion raises legal and transparency issues, especially for a project of such national significance,” he said.
The CISLAC boss also highlighted the importance of civil society organisations (CSOs) in monitoring procurement processes, in line with both global standards and the National Anti-Corruption Strategy.
According to him, Section 57 of the Act mandates transparency in disclosing conflicts of interest, a requirement essential for impartiality in the selection process.
He also raised concerns over potential breaches of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, ministerial oversight obligations, and public ethics standards.
Rafsanjani further stated that transparency and accountability were essential for a fair and equitable process.
With federal investments in ASCL and NIOMCO exceeding $7 billion over 40 years without yielding results, he warned that Nigeria cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past in its efforts to revive those critical assets.
Rafsanjani, therefore, urged the Minister of Steel Development and the Director-General of Bureau of Public Procurement to intervene to ensure an open, fair and transparent process in the appointment of a competent transaction adviser. (NAN)
