Life and Peace Development Organisation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has called for effective procurement plans of local government councils to ensure better service delivery.

Franklin Oloniju, executive director, Life and Peace Development Organisation (LAPDO), made this known on Friday in Akure during a two-day workshop to review the status of implementation of developed procurement plans for local governments.

Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo; Akure North; Akure South; Ondo West; and Owo Local Government Areas (LGAs) were selected to participate in the workshop.

Mr Oloniju, who explained that the workshop was supported by Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), said that “the training was to teach, help to set up an attendance board, and work with LGAs to set up a procurement plan.”

According to him, the aim is to ensure that local governments are in control and have a seamless procurement process.

“Now that local government autonomy is on ground, a procurement plan has now become mandatory for all local governments to have all their structures.

“Our belief, as an organisation, is that if the local government is well structured to manage its resources, the pressure on the state will be reduced and development will cascade to the local governments.

“Also, poverty will be removed and managing waste, ineptitudes and issues around capacity weakness at the local governments will provide the needed development to the entire state,” he said.

In his opening remarks, Bayo Ilawole, permanent secretary, Ondo State Local Government Service Commission, urged local governments to follow the procurement plan for efficient and effective use of government resources.

According to him, there is a need for us to put a system in place that will expose corrupt practices.

“The common people say that when there is no rule or law, there is no offence.

“But when there are rules and regulations and the laws are strengthened, you will know that there is something that guides your operations.

“And if you run foul of it, you know that you will be in for it because there is a financial watchdog that is watching your act.

“The procurement act, if fully strengthened in all our local government system, will guide against excesses of operators of the system,” he said.

(NAN)