‘Procurement backbone of 2026 Budget’
Public procurement has been placed at the centre of Lagos State’s economic strategy for 2026, with top government officials and lawmakers warning that the success of the Budget of Shared
Public procurement has been placed at the centre of Lagos State’s economic strategy for 2026, with top government officials and lawmakers warning that the success of the Budget of Shared Prosperity depends on disciplined, transparent and strategically-executed procurement processes.
This position was made known at the 2026 Procurement Planning Clinic organised by Lagos State Public Procurement Agency in Magodo, where key actors across the executive, public service and legislature converged to align procurement planning with the state’s fiscal and development priorities.
Addressing participants, Commissioner for Finance and Chairman of the agency’s Governing Board, Abayomi Oluyomi, described procurement as the “engine room” of budget delivery, stressing that even the most well-designed fiscal plan would fail without effective implementation.
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He said the 2026 Budget of Shared Prosperity was crafted to ensure economic growth translated into tangible benefits for residents, but warned that intent alone was insufficient.
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Oluyomi said procurement determined how public resources were converted into roads, schools, hospitals, security infrastructure and jobs, making it a strategic economic tool rather than a routine administrative function.
He cautioned that weak planning and poor compliance could erode public trust and undermine service delivery, while transparent and efficient procurement would stimulate local enterprise, support inclusion and strengthen confidence in government.
He told procurement officers, accounting officers and heads of parastatals that they carried heightened responsibility under the 2026 Budget, describing them as custodians of due process and gatekeepers of public resources.
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Head of Service (HoS) Bode Agoro said weak procurement planning remained a major threat to effective service delivery in Lagos State.
He says procurement sits at the heart of public sector performance, serving as the mechanism through which policies and budgets are translated into programmes that affect the daily lives of Lagosians.
Agoro, represented by Permanent Secretary, Office of Internal Audit, Mrs Monsurat Alaka, said procurement planning must be treated as a strategic responsibility, noting that poor planning leads to delays, wastes and inefficiencies, while sound planning promotes timely execution, cost control and value for money.
Director-General of Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Fatai Onafowote, reinforced the message that effective procurement planning was the backbone of successful budget implementation.
He said the clinic was convened to strengthen the capacity of Ministries, Departments and Agencies to deliver public value through transparent and accountable procurement, and to ensure alignment with approved budgets, cash-flow realities and development priorities.
Chairman, House Committee on Procurement, Samuel Apata, reaffirmed House of Assembly’s commitment to strict oversight of public procurement.
He said compliance with due process was non-negotiable, adding that the legislature’s role was not to obstruct governance, but also to ensure accountability, transparency and value for money.
