The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has issued a stern warning to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), stating that accounting officers risk criminal prosecution under the Public Procurement Act if they procure vehicles from suppliers, manufacturers, or importers not accredited under the Federal Government’s local automotive assembly policy.
​The warning was delivered during a joint stakeholder engagement held at the BPP Auditorium Complex in Abuja. The meeting brought together representatives from government agencies, automotive manufacturers, and local assembly plants to align public sector procurement with the administration’s “Nigeria First” local content directive.
​Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the BPP, Adebowale Adedokun, emphasized that the bureau will systematically decline “No Objection” approvals for any auto procurement request that fails to source from recognized local assemblers or authorized retailers registered with the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC).
​”Buying vehicles from unregistered suppliers is a direct violation of the procurement laws and constitutes a criminal offense,” Adedokun stated. “Accounting officers who circumvent these regulations to purchase imported or unverified vehicles without explicit presidential approval and proof that no local alternative exists will face legal consequences”.
​Also addressing the session, the Director-General of the NADDC reinforced the council’s commitment to verifying all government-supplied vehicles through traceable Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) to prevent circumventing local content mandates.
MDAs must ensure all vendor bids originate strictly from vehicle suppliers and assemblers accredited by the NADDC. The BPP will automatically withhold compliance certificates from non-compliant tenders.
Every vehicle supplied to the public sector must possess a verifiable VIN logged into the national automotive registry. Foreign-assembled vehicles may only be procured if the MDA provides verified proof of zero local alternatives alongside presidential approval.
​The joint initiative aims to conserve foreign exchange, bolster domestic industrial capacity, create local jobs, and ensure public spending directly supports domestic manufacturing operations across Nigeria.
