At the inaugural meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Monday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu charged ministers to look beyond titles and offices and stay focused on the day-to-day task of their individual and collective contributions to the transformation of the economy for the upliftment of Nigerian households.
Held at the Council Chambers of the State House in Abuja, the President told the new ministers that the hopes and aspirations of 200 million fellow Nigerians rested on their daily actions and that he would relentlessly provide the focused leadership required to stop failure in its tracks so that sustainable progress can be achieved.
“We shall evolve a homegrown re-engineering of our finances, a reimagined stewardship of our resources, and we will let the economy work for the people of this country. There are so many things we can and will do. Yes, some cynics will say it is impossible. But in your own dictionary of service, everything is possible, and it must be possible”, the President enjoined.
Emphasising that anyone thinking that appointments are fixed term appointments are mistaken, the President expressed confidence that the carefully selected cabinet members know that his government is a new one with a new approach and a new mandate to deliver for Nigeria without any lamentation or excuses.
“We have the talent. We have the level of intellectual capacity required to turn this country around. We will make sure that the country is on the right path to succeed on behalf of more than 200 million Nigerians who rely on us”, President Tinubu affirmed.
He said that the country would rely on the experience, skill, intellect and networking of those that had been appointed to make headway in the challenging times, and failure would not be explained away under his watch.
“You and I know that expectations are high, and these are tough times. We must work hard and move ourselves to create a buoyant economy that will serve Nigeria. We have an employment rate that is unacceptable, and we are facing threats from climate change. In order to turn things around, you have been selected to perform your utmost best. Our policy implementation will reform the economy, ensure inclusive growth, and strengthen security for peace and prosperity. Without security, there can be no investment”, the President said.
Humbled by the mandate God had given to him, the President reminded his cabinet that he is only one man and that their innovative thinking to solve problems would shape his leadership as a President who listens.
“It is in your hands now. I am ready to listen and to cooperate. I am ready even to be corrected. Only God is perfect. You have been asked to fetch water from a dry well. The challenges are great, but we will deliver for Nigerians. I am happy to be the captain of this vehicle.
“It is a great commitment that you have made to the country. Since your inauguration as a minister, you have become a servant for the people, serving all of the people, all of the time”, President Tinubu further said.
Also, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ajuri Ngelale said administration would not permit any failure of any of the ministers, adding that President Tinubu is not scared to sack any minister who is not effective.
On Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, the presidential spokesman said that his principal had established benchmarks for each of the sectors in the country since his emergence as President in February 2023.
“The President has set the benchmarks. The question now is about enforcement and the President has shown, as he did during his time in Lagos State as governor, that he is not someone that is afraid to fire anybody.
“He is not somebody who is afraid to level quick sanctions to ensure that they get the results that he wants because, ultimately, if this administration fails, they will not say a minister failed or a set of ministers failed. They will say President Bola Tinubu failed, and he will not accept failure”, Ngelale said
He further disclosed that during the interim period between when he emerged as President-elect and his inauguration on 29th May, President Tinubu proactively established a series of reform committees encompassing every sector.
He said: “(President Tinubu) basically looked at exactly what His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari had achieved and said, ‘this is what we want to do to build on all these achievements’.
“We are going to effectively implement a plan within a certain amount of time based on time-based benchmarks that when a minister has come in, we will be able to measure their performance against.
“Every minister coming in absolutely knows what they have to achieve within the time frame that has been given to them by the President and that’s something in the history of Nigerian governance we’ve never seen before”.
