Hadiza Bala Usman, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on policy and coordination has said her principal will drop ministers who do not deliver on their mandates.
Speaking at the opening of the technical retreat for delivery desk officers of federal ministries on implementation of presidential priorities and ministerial deliverables in Uyo on Wednesday, Bala Usman, who is also head of the Central Coordinating and Delivery Unit (CDCU), said the president is serious about delivering on his promise to make life better and easier for Nigerians.
While asking for the total commitment of delivery officers and directors of planning in ministries who were present at the retreat, she admonished, “We must understand that the president is very serious about his promises and that ministers will be assessed, and ministers will be dropped if they don’t perform. You must understand that as ministerial delivery desk officers you are the engine room that will provide that feedback and constantly track ministerial progress and report challenges and bottle to the CDCU.”
The former Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) managing director explained that the retreat was to introduce the delivery officers to the framework of the delivery chain for progress tracking and build the officers’ capacity on monitoring of the delivery plan.
According to her: “The assessment will look at granular tangible outcomes that affect the lives of citizens. As I was saying at the Ministry of Aviation recently, we will be assessing FAAN on customers’ experience at the airports; are the escalators, lifts, and conveyor belts functional? How swift is security clearance both for passengers and vehicles in accessing the airport? What are the consequences of delayed time of departure for airlines? These are things that everybody can feel and see. When we are talking about agriculture, we want to see our index of fertilizer use per hectare grow in view of the attendant investment that has been made in fertilizer interventions. At the Ministry of Finance, we will assess the Nigerian Customs Services on the timeliness for inspection and clearance of import and export of cargo. At the ministry of finance again, we will also assess them on the timeliness of resources availability to MDAs which is core to the delivery of any mandate.”
She reiterated to the participants that they are the “engine room to the feedback needed for this assessment and we encourage you to put it your optimal performance in the interest of every Nigerian.”
Secretary to the government of the federation George Akume, who was represented by former permanent secretary, General Services Office Olusegun Adekunle, reminded participants about President Tinubu’s to ensure the active and direct participation of citizens in governance and the role they need to play in ensuring that MDAs deliver on their mandates.
He said: “In the words of the president, let me reiterate that the Renewed Hope Agenda is more than just economic growth. It is also about building a more just and equitable society for all Nigerians. It is about creating jobs, improving education and health, and reducing poverty. It is about ensuring that all Nigerians have the opportunity to succeed.”
