Nigeria's Government Introduces Five-Year Blacklist for Contractors

The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved new guidelines for the debarment of contractors, consultants, and service providers, which may result in exclusion from Federal Government procurement for three to five years. The grounds for debarment include offering bribes, fraud convictions, failure to perform contractual obligations, unsatisfactory performance history, document falsification, and debarment by multilateral organizations.

This directive is detailed in a circular titled “Implementation of the National Guideline on Debarment of Contractors,” signed by George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. The circular was distributed to various high-ranking officials, including the Chief of Staff to the President, ministers, service chiefs, and heads of several commissions and agencies.

Akume stated that the guidelines aim to promote integrity, transparency, and accountability in public procurement, ensuring value for money and protecting the government from non-performing contractors. The guidelines also outline procedures for excluding violators of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.