By Walter Wilson Nana
The Public Contracts sector in Cameroon must be corruption free. This is the message, Abba Sardou, the Minister Delegate in the Presidency in charge of Public Contracts told the newly installed officials of the Southwest Regional Delegation of Public Contracts and the population.
While commissioning the pioneer Southwest Regional Delegate of Public Contracts, Tobias Shey Bunwi Bamgong and the Southwest Regional Chief of Brigade in charge of Control & Execution, Michael Eyong, recently, at the Pensioners’ Hall in Buea, Sardou enjoined these officials and members of the public to shun corruption and other mal practices in the execution of their activities. “Good governance is in the heart of our activities. There is no room for corruption, fraud, malpractices in what we’re doing in the Public Contracts department. It’s a commitment we’ve taken,” the Public Contracts boss said.
Abba Sardou, Minister Delegate in the Presidency in charge of Public Contracts
He mentioned that cases of corruption will be investigated, beginning with a commission that must be put in place at the central and divisional levels. “Let Cameroonians keep us posted on corruption cases. We are set to fight this canker worm from the central administration to the divisions where we operate,” Sardou noted.
The Public Contracts Minister explained the new twist in the country’s public contracts sector. “The deadline to get public contracts awarded has been shortened. Before, it had to take three months for a contract to be awarded; now it will take only two months. In cases of emergency, it will take a month and ten days for a contract to be awarded. We’ve an important process of control, which begins with the publication of the contract(s) at all levels; at the national level we’ve a brigade of 100 controllers to be sent anywhere in the country when the need arises, at the regional level we’ve 7 permanent controllers on the field to control work sites in the regions and divisional levels. At the divisional level, we’ve 5 permanent controllers on the ground. They have three days to make interventions before contractors are paid in the treasury and also ensure that the work has been authorised by the Ministry of Public Contracts.”
Sardou said the members of the tender board at the central level in Yaoundé to the divisions across the country have been reduced from ten to five.
He told the newly installed officials to be responsible in their actions and work without pressure no matter the source. “It is the law and the public contracts code that will guide them and not the Minister,” he said.
Tobias Shey Bunwi Bamgong, pioneer Southwest Regional Delegate of Public Contracts
Shey Bamgong, the Southwest Regional Delegate of Public Contracts corroborated the Minister. “We’ve a duty to curb corruption in our Ministry and this will entail training the stakeholders. That’s our assignment from now on to March 2013. In Public Contracts, we don’t have brothers, we don’t have families. Everything will be done according to the rules and regulations in place. The Public Contracts Code will be applied as written down. That’s our wish.”
The Delegate said all contracts will be evaluated and paid accordingly. “If you’ve executed your contract at 50 percent, we’ll pay you 50 percent and nothing else and continue with it. The issues of the past where contracts have been executed at 20 percent and payment done for 100 percent will not repeat itself. Contract awards have been shortened. Those corrupt tendencies will be wiped out. Corruption used to creep in during those long processes of awards of contracts,” he added.
Bamgong mentioned that his regional team is set for work, acknowledging that they have all the necessary resources to do their work. “We’ve the means to get to all the hinterlands in the region and get the work supervised and done. I will not sit in Buea and award a contract in Akwaya. I will go with the person and see that the work is properly executed. We must work together. If I don’t go, it means I am the first person to abandon a contract. In the past there were no controllers. The engineers did the work and controlled. Now, no, they will do the work and we control. If a contract is abandoned, then we too are an accomplice. That will not happen,” he said.
He invited the public to give them feedback on public contracts in their localities and collaborate in their operations.
Michael Eyong, Southwest Regional Chief of Brigade in the delegation of Public Contracts
Michael Eyong, the Southwest Regional Chief of Brigade also took a commitment to ensure that malpractices in their sector are avoided. “Specifications within the tender files during calls for bids must be respected. The contractors must do what they are supposed to do and do it well,” he said.
