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Perform or be shown the way out, Tinubu tells Ministers
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Wednesday charged ministers, presidential aides, permanent secretaries and top government functionaries to perform optimally or quit their jobs. Speaking at the opening session of a three-day 2023 Cabinet Retreat with a theme, Delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda, at the State House in Abuja, the President said government officials that would be sacked. He said all top government functionaries would sign a performance bond with him on all the things his administration has set out to achieve for the country and its people. The President said he has set up a Results Delivery Unit headed by his Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination Ms Hadiza Bala Usman to coordinate and review the performance of cabinet members. “You have opportunity to change things. Recently, we received the Chancellor of the Republic of Germany and his delegation of investors. One of their key complaints and the question is whether they can bring their capital, repatriate their dividend, or if not satisfied, take their capital away. “The Minister of Trade and Investment was called upon by me to explain further, that those obstacles are gone, never to come back again. We are open for business. “And that is why we’ve established Result Delivery Unit. At the end of this retreat you’re going to sign a bond of understanding between you, the Ministers, the Permanent Secretaries and myself. “If you are performing, nothing to fear; if you miss the objective, we’ll review; if no performance, you leave us. No one is an island and the buck stops on my desk. “I assure you you have a free hand, you must be intellectually inquisitive to ask how, why, when and why it must be immediate. You have responsibility to serve the people. “I’ve taken a young lady, very dynamic Hadiza Bala Usman to head that Delivery Unit. If you have any complaint about her, see me. If you’re ready to work with her, stay there! Delivery, yes, we must achieve it for the sake of millions of the people. “We can’t complain and give excuses. This is our country we have to build it, we have to renew the foundation. We have to give hope to the populace, to Nigerians in doubt whether democracy and economic growth will be the pathway to their prosperity. “Don’t be a clog in the will of Nigeria progress. Let us look forward. Let us be determined that corruption will go, progress will be achieve. “Better living wages for our workers. We will transform the economy to work for millions of our citizens. We must take 50 million people out of poverty. “We must built healthcare that work for all. Look around don’t be wicked. Look at the standard of education. Look at the classrooms, look at the roads. We can only spent the money. We will find it, we cannot spent the people,” he said. The President stressed the need for ministers to be focused on the progress of their ministries by coming up with bolds endeavours to help the administration turn the nation’s population into an asset, stressing that with great talents around the world, Nigeria remains the biggest intellectually sound country in Africa. “Yes we have challenges in Sahel, we have challenges of climate change. South and North of Nigeria is battared, we’ve all seen such. You have desert encroachment in the north but we are still blessed with arable lands. We can do it, we can built our country. “It is not about the theoreticians, it is about practical determinations and focus evaluation. Yes it is our country, we have no other one. “Let be proud that we are Nigerians, that we can do it, you can show leadership. We can fight to make democracy a lasting reference for the rest of Africa,” he said. The President also stressed the need for civil servants to cooperate with ministers to form a formidable team for the good of the country. “As I’ve stated before, no one succeeds alone. You the civil service, you must not see a minister as he or she will come and go and you will be there. “You must make a positive team for the good of this country. Yes! I admit and accept the asset and liability of my predecessor, is part of the definition in my professional background. “But you are in this ship you will make good of it but not wreck it. You are a member of a great family don’t see that minister as opportunistic. “A great Nigeria is possible and a greater Nigeria will come under your commitment, guidance and resolute determination to give the country a direction,” he said. The President said he has accepted the assets and liabilities of his predecessor as expected of his professional background, stressing that he was determined to succeed by all means necessary. “No one can stand alone, you must make a positive team. I accept the asset and liabilities of my predecessor. We’ve spent the last six months reviewing and evaluating ourselves, we’ve come a long way but we set the agenda. Healthcare is a priority. Education of our people is a must. No other weapon against poverty than education. “Let’s be proud that we are Nigerians. We can do it, we can show leadership, we can fight to make democracy a lasting reference for the rest of Africa. Don’t be afraid to take decisions but don’t be antagonistic of your supervisor. If they are wrong, debate it. “As the President, I can make mistakes, point it to me I would resolve that conflict, that error, perfection is only that of God Almighty. But you are there to help me succeed. Success I must achieve by all means necessary. We have great minds, great intellectuals, great intellects and all that we need,” he said. The President also ave reasons he wanted the cabinet retreat to be strictly indigenous, saying Nigerians were the only ones that can proffer solutions to their problems. “When we were discussing this retreat, I said other than members of diplomatic corps to give us goodwill and inspiration, don’t invite any foreigner to give me lecture about governance. I have been through it and I believe in Nigeria. It started from the day I was sworn in, that bold endeavour is only achieved through courage, determination and focused leadership. “We are going through the reform painfully and we still have other challenges. Don’t be a clog in the wheel of Nigeria’s progress. Let us look forward. Let us be determined that corruption will go, progress will be achieved, better wages for our workers living wages. “We will transform the economy to work for millions of our citizens we must take 50 million people out of poverty. We must build healthcare that works for all. Look around don’t be wicked. Look at the standard of education, look at the classrooms, look at the roads. We can only spend the money, we will find it, we cannot spend the people,” he said. He said there was no crime in borrowing for the development of the country and its people, but that Nigerians must be determined to fix the country. “No crime in borrowing. Thank you World Bank for be a lending friend. But let your achievement be home grown. The determination that Nigeria can do it is here. If it has not started six months ago, we are here to switch off the light, make you included, make all Nigerians included. “Our path for tomorrow is charted for our children and grandchildren. Don’t be selfish about it. Poverty is not a shameful thing. It’s only unacceptable. And we have to banish it because it’s unacceptable. Let’s work on other identifiable areas,” he said.
Publish Date : 2023-11-01 20:13:25
Image and News Source : blueprint
