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Warns no complaints, no excuses
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Hadiza Bala heads motoring unit
By Egena Sunday Ode
President Bola Tinubu has warned that he would not hesitate to sack any cabinet member, especially ministers who failed to perform in his administration.
He spoke on Wednesday at the opening of a three-day cabinet retreat for ministers, presidential aides, permanent secretaries and top government functionaries at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa conference centre, Abuja.
To that effect, the President said he would sign a performance bond with the ministers and the permanent secretaries at the end of the retreat in order to make them sit up and face their assignments with all seriousness.
Declaring the retreat themed: “Delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Tinubu announced the setting up of a Results Delivery Unit to be headed by the former Managing Director of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman, to coordinate and review the performance of the cabinetmembers.
“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 dividends, 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,” the President said.
He added: “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”.
“A great Nigeria is possible and a greater Nigeria will come under your commitment, guidance and resolute determination to give the country a direction.”
The President said his team had spent the last six months reviewing and evaluating themselves, adding that “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.”
According to Tinubu: “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.”
On the ongoing economic reforms, the President noted: “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.”
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, assured the President of the loyalty of all the cabinet members and their determination to deliver on the Renewed Hope agenda of the current administration.
He said, the cabinet retreat is designed to prepare and sensitize ministers and other participants on workings and processes of government with a view to ensuring ministries, departments and agencies(MDAs) deliver for the presidential priorities of the renewed hope agenda for 2023 to 2027.
He said the retreat will also provide opportunity to deepen the understanding of participants on best practices in conducting government business. More specifically, the retreat, he said will focus on one, ensuring all members are abreast of essential government processes related to procurement, budgeting, anti corruption drive, Federal Executive Council, and the role of the ministers and permanent secretaries in managing their ministries.
