By; Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna.
As part of effort in fulfilling the vision of the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar on Capacity building of men and officers, the Nigerian Air Force has commenced a “5-day Training Workshop on Public Procurement and Management of Supplies for NAF personnel Connected with Supply Chain Functions”, in Kaduna.
Declaring the workshop open, Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Wakili, Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Training Command, Kaduna, said building capacity is what the Chief of Air Staff always emphasised.
Represented by Air Commodore Akugbe Iyamu, AVM Ahmed Wakili stressed the need for procurement to be given attention in this current dispensation in order to entrench the principle of due process in various department of the Airforce.
According to him, “we are all aware of the Chief of Air Staff’s vision to reposition the NAF into a professional and discipline Force, through capacity building initiative for defending efficient and technique, employment of air power in response to national security imperitus.
”This can only be realised when we emphasized the principal of due process in procurement in our various departments. I hope at the end of this workshop, participants will acquire the requisite knowledge with the right perspectives in public procurement.”
Also speaking, a resource person at the workshop, Abdul Mamman of Charterhouse Consulting Limited, explained that “procurement plays a significant role in our lives today because government spend large sum of its money through procurement.
“Procurement consumes about 70% to 80% of the budget, as a result of that, you need to be specific by getting the right set of people with the right knowledge and attitude towards assisting the government achieve the desired result.
“In getting that done, the Air Force has been blazing the trail because the Chief of Air Staff is so committed to making sure that every kobo spent has value.”
The workshop which focuses on the “Overview of Public Procurement and Assets Disposal Act 2007” law has about twenty five participants; three Commanders drawn from three units within the NAF.
