The Kwara House of Assembly has passed for second reading a bill seeking to amend the state public procurement law No. 7 of 2020.

The bill, titled Kwara State Public Procurement (Amendment) Bill, 2026 – KWHAB 8, was considered during plenary on Thursday in Ilorin.

Moving the motion for amendment of the bill, the House leader, Abdulkadir Magaji (APC/Ilorin Central), explained that the proposed amendment was aimed at strengthening the state’s procurement framework.

He said that the bill seeks to increase the financial thresholds for open competitive bidding and restricted procurement.

Mr Magaji added that the bill, among other things, sought to approve a 30 per cent advance payment on contracts to enhance efficiency in project execution while maintaining transparency and accountability.

Also contributing in support of the bill were Arinola Lawal, Rukayat Shittu, and Musa Kareem, who described the amendment as timely and necessary for improved service delivery in the state.

After deliberations, the speaker, Yakub Danladi-Salihu, directed that the bill should be referred to the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation for further legislative scrutiny.

He directed the committee to scrutinise the proposed amendment and report back to the House as soon as possible. 

(NAN)