- staff seconded to Liberia to replicate State’s e-procurement system
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has commended Mr. Ezekiel Obazele, a worker in the State, who was nominated as Nigeria’s best procurement officer, noting that his recognition is a testament to his administration’s reforms in the civil and public service.
The governor said this when he received Obazele who has been assigned to Liberia to provide technical support in the implementation of e-procurement by the Liberian Government and replicate the state’s technology-driven procurement system.
Obazele was received at the Government House in Benin City, the Edo State capital, alongside the Head of Service, Dr. Anthony Okungbowa and other officers of the Edo State Public Procurement Agency.
The governor said, “Mr. Obazele, I thank you very much for making us proud as you are a testament to the reforms we have undertaken in our public and civil service in the last seven and half years.
“Due to the investment the government has made and your hard work you have been identified, singled out and acknowledged to go and take an international assignment to support the government of Liberia in establishing their e-procurement unit.
“You have to be cognizant of the fact that you are representing the State and the country in this assignment as thousands of young people are looking up to you as a trailblazer. If you work hard and accomplish, the world is your limit. I congratulate you for making us proud and hope you will not let us down.”
In his response, Mr. Obazeke commended the governor for his transformative reforms in the civil and public service and for prioritizing the welfare of Edo workers, adding, “It’s a pleasure that I am being recognized as a young man as regarding e-procurement implementation in Africa. It means I have a lot on my shoulders now as a lot of young people are looking up to me and want to follow the same steps.
“If you are committed to what you are doing, there is no way you will not achieve the results you desire. For me, it’s making Edo State proud and contributing my quota to make Edo State great again.”
He added, “I have hands-on experience with what it takes to implement the e-procurement system. With the experience I have gathered from the Edo State Government, I would include extra knowledge and make sure that the Liberian Government has the same level of success and ensure everyone involved in procurement space plays along to guarantee a proper chain management process.”
Also, the Edo Head of Service said, “Obazele Ezekiel is a young man who has just been approved to be seconded to Liberia. He is an officer in the e-procurement agency and one of those officers responsible for the progress and successes recorded on the State’s e-procurement.
“E-procurement in Edo has been acknowledged as one of the best in Africa. So, the Liberia Government requested that somebody be sent to them and four persons were nominated; two from Nigeria and two outside Nigeria and amongst them, he emerged as the best.
“This is a testament that what the Edo State Government has been doing in the past seven and half years is working very well. We are beginning to get acknowledgment from far and wide about our e-governance processes and ventures. We are confident that he will not disappoint us.”
