Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: procurement

  • NCDMB opens 2025/2026 tech challenge to fund innovations for Nigeria’s energy value chain

    NCDMB opens 2025/2026 tech challenge to fund innovations for Nigeria’s energy value chain

    2026-01-02 09:00:00
    In a statement carried by Punch, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) announced its 2025/2026 research, innovation and technology challenge to support deployable solutions across the energy value chain.

    The programme is positioned as a competitive pipeline that targets practical outcomes—funding, piloting and partnerships—rather than proposals that end at the concept stage.

    Stakeholders note that innovation programmes deliver the most impact when winners are connected to real industry offtakers, procurement lanes and test-bed opportunities.

    Validation: Premium Times reported the launch as a push to spur “innovation and technology” within Nigeria’s content ecosystem. Vanguard also covered it as an “innovation challenge,” reinforcing the emphasis on converting research into market-ready products.

    Echotitbits take: NCDMB has leverage—if it plugs winners into procurement and operations, this becomes an industrialisation tool. Watch the judging criteria (commercial viability vs. concept) and whether pilot funding is released fast enough to keep teams alive.

    Source:  The Punch — 2026-01-01 (https://punchng.com/ncdmb-unveils-2025-2026-tech-innovation-challenge/)
    The Punch 2026-01-01

    Photo Credit: The Punch

  • Marketers push for forensic probe into ₦11.35tn refinery rehab spending and funding trail

    Marketers push for forensic probe into ₦11.35tn refinery rehab spending and funding trail

    2026-01-02 06:00:00
    Punch reports petroleum marketers are urging the federal government to open a forensic investigation into about ₦11.35 trillion reportedly spent on rehabilitation of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries, arguing that the scale of spending demands public accounting.

    The call focuses on transparency: who approved what, which contracts were awarded, how funds were drawn, and what deliverables were actually achieved across Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna facilities.

    Marketers warn that continued opacity undermines public trust and makes future turnaround plans harder to finance credibly—especially as Nigeria still leans on imports and faces pricing volatility.

    Leadership reports marketers “seek investigation into ₦11.36trn spent on refineries,” calling for transparent tracking of borrowed and spent funds. A BusinessDay analysis notes the long-running nature of the claim and says Nigeria’s legislature previously alleged “N11.35 trillion… spent on the rehabilitation of the refineries” with little to show.

    Echotitbits take: This isn’t just a numbers fight—it’s about credibility for Nigeria’s energy transition and downstream pricing. If an audit happens, watch for contract disclosures, recovery actions, and whether future refinery policy leans more decisively toward privatisation or performance-based concessions.

    Source: The Punch — January 2, 2026 (https://punchng.com/probe-n11-35tn-spent-on-refineries-marketers-tell-fg/)
    The Punch 2026-01-02

    Photo Credit: The Punch

  • ICRC urges Nigerians to stay hopeful as PPP approvals signal infrastructure momentum

    ICRC urges Nigerians to stay hopeful as PPP approvals signal infrastructure momentum

    2026-01-01 07:40:00
    In a statement reported by GazetteNGR, the ICRC director-general urged Nigerians to enter 2026 with renewed hope, stressing infrastructure delivery and PPP momentum.

    The message points to government approvals and structuring work around private-sector-led solutions as evidence of steps to reduce Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit.

    In practice, the real question is whether projects become bankable and deliverable—where contract design, risk allocation and enforcement decide outcomes.

    Punch quoted the ICRC chief pointing to FEC approvals that provide “reassurance” about closing the gap via private-sector-led solutions.

    Trust Radio also reported he urged citizens to remain “hopeful and confident” that progress is steady.

    Echotitbits take:

    PPPs can transform delivery—or become rent channels. Watch for transparent procurement, clear user-fee/tariff logic, and credible dispute resolution to keep projects moving and socially acceptable.

    Source: GazetteNGR — January 1, 2026 (https://gazettengr.com/icrc-boss-urges-nigerians-to-embrace-hope-shared-responsibility-in-2026/)

    GazetteNGR 2026-01-01

    Photo Credit: GazetteNGR

  • Budget Crunch: NASS Pushes 2025 Fiscal Year to March 2026

    Budget Crunch: NASS Pushes 2025 Fiscal Year to March 2026

    Photo Credit: The Punch
    2025-12-25 09:05:00

    Reporting by The Punch indicates Nigeria’s National Assembly has extended the 2025 fiscal year timeline to allow more time for budget implementation, amid delays in budget passage and execution. The move is framed as a pragmatic reset to reduce the usual year-end rush that leaves capital spending under-delivered.

    The extension is tied to the broader issue of late appropriation cycles, where projects start too late in the year and MDAs struggle to complete procurement and releases before the fiscal window closes. Supporters say it improves planning realism; critics worry it normalizes delays.

    In practical terms, the extension gives ministries and agencies more runway to draw down releases and push ongoing capital projects, especially where procurement timelines already spilled beyond the calendar year.

    In related coverage, Vanguard quoted Senate President Godswill Akpabio describing the measure as a “major transformative step,” while Premium Times reported that the extension is aimed at “ensuring the full release and utilisation of budgeted funds for capital projects.”

    Echotitbits take: The real test is whether the extra months translate into measurable capital delivery—not just paperwork. Watch Q1 2026 releases and project milestones, plus whether the executive also reforms procurement bottlenecks that routinely delay project starts.

    Source: The Punch — December 25, 2025 (https://punchng.com/budget-crisis-nass-extends-2025-fiscal-year-to-march/)

    The Punch 2025-12-25

  • Fiscal-year extension aims to end Nigeria’s ‘overlapping budget’ problem

    Fiscal-year extension aims to end Nigeria’s ‘overlapping budget’ problem

    Photo Credit: The Punch
    2025-12-24 06:00:00

    According to Punch, Nigeria’s National Assembly has moved to extend the implementation window for the 2025 budget into early 2026 as lawmakers debate how to avoid a repeat of “multiple budgets running at the same time” and the planning distortions that follow.

    The shift effectively keeps the 2025 appropriation alive beyond the traditional December-end cycle, giving MDAs a wider runway to complete ongoing procurement, releases, and capital execution that typically slip late in the year.

    The extension is also being framed as a legislative response to recurring delays in budget passage and cash-backing—an attempt to align “budget life” with actual spending realities rather than calendar formality.

    In practical terms, the change sets a new reference point for ministries and contractors: the 2025 budget is not “dead” on December 31, which could reduce abandoned projects and rushed year-end spending.

    Reuters reported the plan was intended to “bring an end to the practice of running multiple budgets concurrently,” while TVC News described it as extending the 2025 budget’s life “to March 31, 2026.”

    Echotitbits take: This is an admission that Nigeria’s budget cycle still struggles with realism—late passage, slow releases, and weak project discipline. Watch for whether cash releases and procurement timelines are also adjusted; otherwise, lawmakers may simply be postponing the same execution bottlenecks into Q1 2026.

    Source: The Punch — December 24, 2025 (https://punchng.com/budget-crisis-nass-extends-2025-fiscal-year-to-march/)
    The Punch 2025-12-24

  • EFCC refinery investigation drags on as Nigerians press for named suspects and charges

    EFCC refinery investigation drags on as Nigerians press for named suspects and charges

    Photo Credit: The Punch
    2025-12-21 00:40:00

    Reporting by The Punch indicates the EFCC’s probe into alleged mismanagement of billions allocated to state refinery rehabilitation remains unresolved months after invitations and reported recoveries, with no suspects arraigned.

    The report says investigators are looking at how funds for Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries were spent without commensurate improvements in output, as civil society groups warn delays deepen perceptions of selective enforcement.

    In the piece, advocacy groups argue prolonged silence can weaken public confidence and create room for interference, while the economic cost of non-performing refineries remains a recurring policy sore point.

    BusinessDay reported the EFCC opened investigations into alleged abuse of office and misappropriation tied to refinery funds, describing it as “an investigation into alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of funds.” The Punch also quoted an anti-corruption advocate urging action, saying, “It baffles us that nothing has been heard from the EFCC after over six months.”

    Echotitbits take:
    The credibility marker is court action: charges filed, defendants named, and a clear recovery/prosecution track. Watch for any formal arraignments, asset recovery disclosures, and whether NNPCL’s governance reforms alter how such projects are procured and audited.

    Source: The Punch — December 21, 2025 (https://punchng.com/nnpc-refinery-probe-drags-as-efcc-keeps-mum-on-suspects/)
    The Punch 2025-12-21

  • Private Capital Lines Up to Take Over and Toll Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway Section 1

    Private Capital Lines Up to Take Over and Toll Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway Section 1

    2025-12-18 00:00:00

    As reported by Punch, Nigeria’s Works Ministry says four investors have indicated interest in taking over Section 1 of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway under a concession model that would allow tolling to recover costs.

    The report quotes officials as describing the arrangement as a public–private approach meant to reduce the fiscal burden on government while accelerating delivery of critical infrastructure.

    The concession discussion comes as the project faces sustained public debate on cost, transparency, and procurement—issues government insists it is addressing.

    Sahara Reporters quoted the minister saying, “about four different companies… want to pay 100% of what we have spent… and they would take it over and toll it.” (Sahara Reporters)

    Another report circulating the same remarks quoted Umahi: “There are about four companies that have indicated interest… take it over and toll it.” (BrandIconImage)

    Analysis/Echotitbits take: A toll-backed concession could unlock funding, but it also shifts the debate to affordability, route economics, and contract openness. Watch for the identity of bidders, the tolling framework, and whether an independent value-for-money review is published to calm public skepticism.

    Source: Punch — December 18, 2025 (https://punchng.com/four-investors-push-for-lagos-calabar-highway-concession/)

    Photo credit: Punch

  • Report says FG committed about ₦1.9trn to airport upgrades over two years

    Report says FG committed about ₦1.9trn to airport upgrades over two years

    2025-12-14

    According to The Punch, a report says the Federal Government approved or committed roughly ₦1.9 trillion to airport upgrades over a two-year period, spanning equipment, safety systems and infrastructure improvements.

    The report links the spending to plans to modernise aviation facilities and strengthen safety and operational reliability across airports.

    The Guardian Nigeria reported related approvals around navigation and communication upgrades and described the effort as a comprehensive modernisation drive for air safety.

    BizWatch Nigeria also reported the overhaul and said it is aimed at improving air safety and modernising aviation infrastructure.

    Analysis/Echotitbits take: The real measure isn’t the headline figure but delivery: which airports get what upgrades, whether timelines are met, and whether maintenance capacity is built into procurement. Watch for project breakdowns, independent oversight, and whether upgrades reduce delays, incidents and operating costs for airlines and passengers.

    Source: The Punch — 14 Dec 2025 (https://punchng.com/fg-earmarked-n1-9tn-for-airport-upgrades-in-two-years-report/)