In commemoration of his first anniversary in office, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reportedly directed his ministers to present their performance scorecard to Nigerians.
This was disclosed by the minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, while addressing newsmen at a press briefing in Abuja. The minister said the low-key first-anniversary celebration would be marked with sectoral media briefings by the 47 federal ministers starting today, Thursday, May 23rd, 2024.
President Tinubu had promised his ministers will give a regular briefing of their achievements in office. At the opening of a three-day cabinet retreat for ministers, presidential aides, permanent secretaries and top government functionaries on November 1, 2023, the President said the ministers in his cabinet would only retain their offices based on performance, which would be reviewed quarterly. “If you are performing, nothing to fear. If you miss the objective, we’ll review it. If no performance, you leave us. No one is an island, and the buck stops on my desk,” the President said.
Speaking on events to mark the first anniversary, the information minister said there would be no fanfare to mark Tinubu’s one year in power.
He stated, “From tomorrow (today), we are going to have ministers come in here to discuss what they are doing in their various ministries consistent with the policies of President Bola Tinubu.
“The first anniversary of the president will be on a low key, with an emphasis on sectoral briefings by the various ministers. There will be no ceremonies relating to the one year in office of the president.”
On his part, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, has begun highlighting what he called the administration’s ambitious agenda aimed at economic revitalization, social inclusion, and infrastructural development. Akume pointed out that significant economic reforms had been implemented to stabilise the economy and promote sustainable growth.
These policies, according to him, have successfully attracted foreign investments, reduced inflation, and boosted job creation across various sectors.
“Let me begin by admitting that the first year in office for Mr. President has been a testament to the unwavering commitment and resilience of this administration towards serving the Nigerian people with diligence, integrity, and dedication,” Akume remarked.
“Despite daunting challenges, President Tinubu has maintained his calm and demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities, guiding our nation with vision and foresight. The government has implemented significant economic reforms aimed at stabilizing our economy and fostering sustainable growth. Key among these is the introduction of policies that have attracted foreign investments, reduced inflation, and boosted job creation across various sectors,’’ he further noted.
On his part, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, stated that Tinubu’s administration inherited a low revenue and shrinking economy but was determined to address these challenges through the Renewed Hope Agenda.
This agenda, he added, formed from extensive reflection and input from various stakeholders, focused on eight priority areas crucial for Nigeria’s progress.
Bagudu emphasised the need for difficult decisions, noting that countries Nigeria aspires to emulate made these choices long ago, arguing that the Renewed Hope Agenda involves confronting economic realities, which may cause temporary discomfort but are essential for long-term stability and growth.
We must restore a macroeconomic environment that can stimulate investment, generate revenue, and address under-investment in sectors like security, education, and social welfare,” Bagudu explained.
He highlighted that Nigeria’s current crude oil production is below its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries quota due to under-investment in infrastructure and security.
He elaborated, “So we impact, as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda, on a macro-economic reform because that was what was responsible for low investment, low revenues and our economy’s size was shrinking, was too small compared to our needs.
“Nothing we do can solve the problem of under-investment in various sectors of the economy; be it security, be it education, be it social welfare, without restoring a macro-economic environment that can stimulate investment in our economy, which will generate revenues for us to fix security.
“That is why we are not even producing crude oil in the quantity we used to before, or as allowed by international convention, which is our OPEC quota, because of under-investment, whether in the physical infrastructure itself or security, and so on and so forth.’’
