The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is facing allegations of contravening the directive of the federal government by engaging foreign companies to import mosquito-treated nets into Nigeria.
A petition has been submitted to the National Assembly and shared with the Ministers of Health and Justice, as well as the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). In the complaint, one of the vendors, Rosies Textile Mills Ltd, accuses UNOPS of disregarding the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Federal Government. According to the vendor, UNOPS has opted to enlist international manufacturers for the importation of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLIN).
The memo, signed on September 5, 2022, between the Federal Ministry of Health and UNOPS, outlines the utilization of a $64,671,546.04 loan sourced from IsDB for the procurement of locally made LLIN for Bayelsa, Edo, Enugu, Kogi, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In the agreed-upon MOU, both parties emphasized that the goods would be procured through solicitation. The document underscored the importance of supporting locally manufactured products in accordance with Presidential Executive Order 003. UNOPS and the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) mutually recognized the critical role of locally made products for sustainability, job creation, and specified that international competitive bidding would only be applied to products not currently locally manufactured or meeting acceptable quality standards.
“LLINs shall be procured through an open competitive bidding process involving both local manufacturers who have WHO and NAFDAC certification, and local suppliers who have manufacturers authorisation of WHOPES approved LLINS from local manufacturers.”
But things took a dramatic twist when despite certification by the Ministries of Trade and Investment and Health that there were local manufacturers and suppliers with manufacturers authorisation, UNOPS decided to cancel local competitive bidding it announced.
In the documents shared by the petitioner, UNOPS announced competitive bidding on Thursday, June 2, 2022, calling for an “expression of interest for the supply of locally manufactured long-lasting insecticide mosquito nets” as directed by the Federal Government that the nets must be sourced locally.
The UN agent said to be qualified, “the nets are expected to be produced and packaged in Nigeria and must have both NAFDAC and WHO certification to deliver the project within 12 months.”
Rosies Textile Mills Ltd is angry that despite the recommendation by the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), the World Bank and Procurement Consultant IMPACT for the project recommending it, UNOPS cancelled the bidding.
The visiting team which went around the country in 2022 wrote in its reports to the health ministry, UNOPS and other stakeholders for the project that, “Rosies Textiles Mills, Aba, Abia State, having the required experience and capacity to manufacture and finish/package LLIN locally with the history of timely execution of the large quantities of LLIN in the past, and having been found to possess the capacity for manufacturing 165,000 nets per day with the potential to scale-up should be considered for local patronage pursuant to Executive Order (EO 003).”
The team further highlighted that “Since Rosies Textile Mills Limited is the only identified local WHO approved and NAFDAC registered LLIN manufacturers, other local suppliers can get manufacturer’s authorisation from the company to enable them to qualify for the participation in the exercise for the procurement of LLIN in Nigeria.”
But the company is accusing UNOPS of blackmailing it that it teamed up with two other local suppliers – Danyakubu Global Services Ltd – and Resizar International Co. Ltd it gave manufacturers authorisation to and so flouted the rules.
It responded to the query of collusion to UNOPS saying the terms of the tender which UNOPS published showed that “LLINs shall be procured through national open competitive bidding process involving both local manufacturers who have WHO and NAFDAC certification and local suppliers who have manufacturers authorisation of distributorship of WHOPES approved LLINs from local manufacturers.”
