Open Contracting Portals: From transparency tools to forgotten promises in Kano
By Aminu Abubakar
Open Contracting Portals were originally designed as critical tools for promoting accountability and transparency in governance.
These digital platforms are meant to provide citizens with access to vital information, including the names of contractors awarded public projects, the value of contracts, timelines for completion, and the processes followed in awarding them. In many states, these portals are referred to as “Due Process” platforms.
However, over time, several Nigerian states have abandoned or neglected these platforms, undermining their purpose and compromising public trust.
A SolaceBase review of the Kano State Due Process website reveals glaring negligence in the government’s management of the platform.
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For example, the website for listing constituency projects—https://dueprocess.kn.gov.ng/constituency-projects/—is currently inaccessible and displays a “404 Error” page. Additionally, the state’s listed e-procurement portal, edueprocess.com, is also not accessible.
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The portal for constituency projects continuously shows “Error404”
While the Kano Due Process website mentions ministries such as Works, Education, Health, Environment, and SUBEB, only a single link—“OCDS2020”—is functional for each ministry, and even those links display only a limited number of contract awards. Beyond this, none of the ministries have working or updated links detailing specific contracts.
According to the Kano State Budget Performance Report, the government spent N108.8 billion on capital expenditure in 2024. Yet, the failure to maintain a functional open contracting portal deprives residents of critical information—such as who was awarded what contracts, how much each project cost, and the procedures followed in the procurement process.
While the portal lists different items, only “Ocds 2020 works with a few items listed there.
List of contract awards for the Ministry of Education under “OCDS 2020”
This lack of transparency contradicts the stated importance of Open Contracting Portals.
“Open contracting is about publishing timely and accessible procurement information in order to engage the public in identifying and fixing problems around procurement. Kaduna State, since joining the Open Government Partnership, is dedicated to providing citizens and the public with access to procurement information,” the Open Contracting Partnerships noted in a statement.
The Kano State governor, Abba Yusuf, in November 2024, promised to ensure transparency and accountability in governance, yet a tool such as the Open Contracting Portal remains non-functional.
The consequences of such opacity are far-reaching.
In August 2024, SolaceBase reported a major corruption case handled by the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) that interrogated three interim Local Government Chairmen. The issue revolved around an alleged multibillion-naira contract scam.
According to the report, N660 million—part of N1.1 billion approved by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for the 44 local governments to address water and medical supply challenges—was allegedly mismanaged. The funds were earmarked for projects running from August to October 2024, with N25 million allocated to each local government per month.
Such incidents highlight the urgent need for transparency in procurement processes. According to national reports, over 60% of corruption cases in Nigeria are linked to open contracting-related issues—emphasizing the critical role that accessible, updated, and functional portals could play in curbing corruption.
Kano State suffers from gaps in developmental needs, which would mean that there is an utmost need for monies that are allocated for projects to be well utilised and judiciously monitored.
According to the multidimensional poverty index data, there are 4.60 million persons who are poor in Kano State. The data review further shows that 35% of children of school age in the state are denied access to education, another 51% households are denied access to sanitary facilities, while 31% are denied access to clean drinking water.
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If the state would ameliorate the challenges, it would continue to pump billions into capital projects and contracts, experts however argue that a functional open Contracting portal helps reduce corruption in the contractual processes by promoting open governance and transparency.
A report by BudGit ranked Kano State low in terms of fiscal transparency as of first quarter 2024. Kano State ranked twenty-ninth out of thirty-six states of the country with a score of forty-two points out of a hundred.
Conclusion
Open Contracting Portals were established to strengthen transparency, empower citizens, and reduce corruption. The abandonment and neglect of these platforms, especially in states like Kano and Kaduna, not only betray public trust but also violate the principles of good governance.
As billions of naira are allocated and spent annually on capital projects, Nigerians deserve access to the full details of how those funds are used. It’s time for states to revive these tools, ensure regular updates, and truly embrace open governance—not just in rhetoric, but in practice.
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