Tinubu warns ministers against personal ambitions

• Says We Must Save Nigeria From Elephantiasis
• Retreat Recommends Criteria For Appointing Ministers, Agency Heads

President Bola Tinubu yesterday tasked his ministers to put aside their personal ambitions and focus on his administration’s efforts to pull Nigeria out of poverty.

The President gave the admonition at the close of the three-day retreat for ministers, permanent secretaries, presidential aides and other top government officials, who all signed a performance bond, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Closing the programme, the president told the ministers that it behooves on them to change the narrative about the country, noting that if they have any problem about Nigeria, they should have a conversation about it.

The president stressed the need for the officials to bond together and ensure that the country recovers from “elephantiasis.”

Tinubu declared that they could not make any excuses just as he would not be giving Nigerians excuses.

President Tinubu expressed pride for contesting and winning the 2023 presidential election as well as his cases in the courts.

He said: “We have gathered here to shape the future, no threat about it. The responsibilities we bear are not just titles; they are hope and aspiration of millions of Nigerians.

“You might be ready to forget about the rest of the world but as a Nigerian, let’s go out there, let’s bond together and make sure our country is fully recovered from elephantiasis.

“Let me remind you that you are not here to make excuses neither am I. I’m your friend, your brother, a father and grandfather.

“You must put outside personal ambition and focus on the progress of our nation. It is through this that we can be truly proud.

“I am proud standing before you. I’m very, very proud of everyone of you. And I am proud of myself too. I went for election and won with your support; they took me to court and I won.”

While extracting the commitment of the ministers and other government officials to work together as a team to achieve the goals of the administration, President Tinubu said: “We are about to close this three day cabinet retreat.  Are we proud that we are Nigerians? Are we sure that we’ve done this?  Is the responsibility of the permanent secretary clear in partnership with the Minister? Is it clear? Are we one family?

“Since we are one family and one nation and we are in this vehicle together to change the narrative and bring about economic prosperity of our country, are we ready?”

He further stated: “We have a responsibility to our country to make sure we change completely the narrative about Nigeria.

“If we have problems, let’s talk to one another, let’s have conversations, gentle conversations about our country.  It’s not about just leave me alone, I’m going home; you may not have a home.

“There’s nothing you can do successfully without good healthcare, reduction of poverty. Like I said before, poverty is not a shameful thing but it’s not acceptable. Are we going to dig our people out of it?

“If you look at your background no matter where you are today, there’s a trace of poverty beneath.  So, it’s left for you and I to navigate this ship out of poverty. We have a lot of work and head of us.”

Tinubu noted that his administration has tinkered with its focus areas, saying: “Area one, reform the economy to deliver sustainable inclusive growth; “two, strengthen national security for peace and prosperity; boost agriculture to achieve food security; unlock energy and natural resources for sustainable development; enhanced infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth; focus on education, health and social investment as essential pillars of development; and accelerate diversification through industrialisation, digitisation and creative industry, manufacturing and innovative technology.”

Giving a synthesis of the key recommendations from technical sessions of the retreat, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, announced that the retreat has raised the approval threshold for public procurement and encouraged open bidding for transparency.

It recommended formulation of standardised checklist detailing appointment criteria for Ministers and Heads of Agencies and also, improved alignment of the budget for the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to the president’s vision, strategic goals and relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Other key recommendations are to evaluate the efficiency of previous Federal Government Intervention programmmes and conduct of proper pre-and post-project assessments to determine the efficacy of the programmes; improve judicial process by allowing promoted judges to complete pending cases in their new positions; revive the executive-legislature conference/tripartite meetings to discuss pre-budget issues ahead of time and to define consequences and accelerate prosecution of individuals, including lawmakers, who do not complete contracts awarded to them.

On policies and priorities for the Renewed Hope agenda, the retreat recommended reforming the economy to deliver sustained inclusive growth; reforming tariff structure to enable trade, while still supporting domestic production.

Other recommendations are: Incorporate more equity financing rather than debt financing for fiscal operations and to ensure annual budget is aligned with strategic priorities, among others.