The Ekiti House of Assembly on Thursday reconvened to debate the State Public Procurement Bill 2020 and reached a unanimous decision to repeal the BPP Law, 2017.

The Speaker, Mr Funminiyi Afuye, presided over the plenary.

Afuye said the Assembly reconvened to debate the bill, especially now that the Kayode Fayemi administration was waging war against the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the end of the plenary, the House resolved to commit the bill to its Committee on Sustainable Development Goals and Due Process for further legislative scrutiny.

“I laud all members for their prompt response to the call to duty. The bill is for the good and well being of Ekiti.

“The committee is saddled with the responsibility to work extensively on the bill, to do so speedily and submit its report on Tuesday, April 7.

“The speedy passage of the bill will assist government in the procurement of certain equipment that may be needed now to fight against the Coronavirus pandemic,’’ the Speaker said.

Contributing to the debate, Gboyega Aribisoga, Ajibade Adeyemi, Femi Akindele, Abiodun Fawekun and Oluwajuwa Adegbuyi all lauded the bill and called for its speedy passage.

They said the bill if eventually passed and assented to, would promote transparency, accountability and fairness in the public procurement processes.

Adeoye Aribasoye and Adeyemi called on the committee to extensively scrutinise the bill at the committee level to ensure that any ambiguity was removed.

Fawekun particularly lauded the introduction of e-procurement by the new bill, saying that it would showcase to international donors and partners the readiness of the Ekiti government to promote openness in public procurement procedures.