As part of efforts to ensure transparency in government expenditure, Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, has inaugurated the Bayelsa State
Central Procurement Board (BSCP).
Speaking at the inauguration, Sylva disclosed that both the World Bank and the American Embassy, through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) were involved in the establishment of  the Board.
According to him, the inauguration of the Board is in line with international best practices and ranks among the best of such initiative anywhere in the world.

He urged members of the Board to ensure that due process is followed in the award of contracts, stressing that they should never allow themselves to be intimidated.

The governor also advised members of the Board to put in their best in the discharge of their duties, pointing out that the success of his administration will depend, to a large extent, on the  exemplary record of the Board.

“Every contract we have to issue would have to go through this Board and the transparency you  display will also reflect the openness of this administration”, he stressed.

The governor stated that his administration places premium on transparency, which informed the establishment of the Due Process and e- Governance Bureau shortly after his assumption of office.

He said the international community has acknowledged efforts of the state government towards ensuring that transparency and due process are followed in government transactions.

Sylva, who said members of the Board were chosen because of their proven integrity, advised them to justify the confidence reposed in them, adding that Bayelsans are expecting a lot from them.

Responding on behalf of the Board, its Chairman and Commissioner for Special Duties (Governor’s Office), Chief Kesiye Frank-Oputu expressed gratitude to the governor for the opportunity given them to serve the state promising that henceforth the state government will get ‘value for its money’ on every procurement.

Frank-Oputu, who acknowledged that Bayelsa State is under scrutiny in Nigeria and beyond, pledged that the Board will not disappoint the government and people of the state.