When, in July 2016, she was appointed its Managing Director/CEO, Hadiza Bala Usman became the first woman to head the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). Before then, she had set the record as the first woman in northern Nigeria to hold the position of Chief of Staff, which she was to the then Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.
Hadiza has, however, carved her own image as a key player in several spheres of development in Nigeria, with spells in international development, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a Special Assistant on Project Implementation to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), and the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE). Ms Bala Usman later became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Abuja Enterprise Agency. She has also been active in the private sector as Senior Manager for Government Relations at Etisalat (now 9Moble).
Hadiza was a functionary of the Good Governance Group (3G), a civil society organisation, where she was director of fundraising and strategy. In response to Boko Haram’s abduction of 219 female pupils from Chibok Secondary School, in April 2014, she co-founded the global movement #BringBackOurGirls to press for actions to secure the release of the girls.
She’s the daughter of Yusufu Bala Usman, a Nigerian historian and radical politician and founder of the Centre for Democratic Development, Research, and Training at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. She holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from Leeds University in the United Kingdom.
She is the author of the book Stepping on Toes: My Odyssey at the Nigerian Ports Authority. In this exclusive interview with BusinessDay’s General Manager, Bashir Ibrahim Hassan, Ms. Bala-Usman resists the efforts to drag her into controversial issues in some of her tours of duty, including those raised by her book. She rather explains her scope of work, which she is most passionate about: the complexity of assessing the performance of ministers, one of the key deliverables of her office; the key accomplishments of her office; the challenge of deploying the Citizen Tracker in assessing performance; and the challenge of forging policy consistency and coherence in the polity.
Can you tell Nigerians what the mandate of this office is, and how does it impact governance?
There are two positions in the office: Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Result Delivery Unit. They involve policy coordination on one side and result delivery on the other. Every government requires effective result delivery, which includes tracking performance and managing consequences to ensure effective performance and accountability. Our job in the Central Result Delivery Coordination Unit (CDCU) is to ensure that the mandates of the ministers are clear, their delivery requirements are specified, and the indicators by which they are measured are well-defined.
We achieve this through conscious engagement with the ministers. None of the deliverables or indicators were determined without the ministers’ input. My team and I met with each minister to review the mandate of their ministry, our policy advisory council report, and the national development plan. Based on these documents, we established deliverables.
Each minister took the time to study these deliverables. High-impact deliverables are tied to daily experiences, such as the efficiency of governance, the speed of approvals, and the performance of various services. For example, consider how long it takes for a certificate of occupancy to be signed, how airlines are sanctioned for delays, and the turnaround time for vessels entering the country.
We also looked into specific issues like the inspection time for agricultural produce exports and the removal of bans on Nigerian exports like sesame seeds. We examined the effectiveness of agencies like NAFDAC in registering and certifying products and the sanctions for delays in these processes. By recognising citizens’ pain points, we established clear, high-impact deliverables and communicated them to the ministries, ensuring they were reflected in their budgets.
We began tracking performance at the start of the year, considering budgetary provisions. Details are crucial, so we ensured them through engagement with the ministers, who signed performance bonds with the President. These bonds detail their deliverables. Permanent secretaries, who are central to governance, also co-signed these bonds to ensure accountability and ownership.
In the first quarter, we encountered several challenges. One major issue was the availability of resources; the total capital spent for Q1 was suboptimal, affecting many ministries. Bureaucratic challenges, such as procurement and administrative procedures, also hindered performance. Additionally, we found a lack of sanction mechanisms within certain regulations. For example, the Ministry of Aviation did not have provisions for sanctioning airlines for delays, so we initiated the development of such regulations.
How do you rate the performances of the ministers in this country over the past nine to ten months, and how do you rate your own performance in this office?
What we observed is that performance varies across sectors, making it difficult to cluster and say all ministers are performing or not performing. Instead, we look at specific sectors to see how we have driven progress and how these sectors have directly impacted people.
For example, in the economy, we have indicators and data showing that it is moving in the expected direction. By looking at the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Budget, we can see positive movement in terms of their ability to deliver.
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One of our initiatives is to let the President own the performance assessment release. The President holds the performance assessments and decides how and to what extent this information is revealed to the public. While there have been improvements in Budget and Planning and the Ministry of Finance, specific ratings like A or B are not assigned by us. The President is the custodian of the scorecard for all of us, and he determines how to engage with this information.
We use empirical data to guide decision-making, ensuring that everything is verified with evidence. Ministries often submit claims of achievements, but we require evidence, which comes from external assessors. For example, in the agricultural sector, implementing the livestock policy requires collaboration between the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture. We assess progress by looking at factors like import duty tariffs for dairy products and their impact on investment in dairy farming.
We also emphasise the importance of global indicators. For example, we compare yield per hectare for crops like rice, wheat, and corn across different regions of the country. To improve yields, we consider factors like seed types, fertiliser, and pesticides. These global indicators help us determine and set targets.
Introducing these indicators has been challenging, as ministries are not used to such measurements. For instance, we compare Nigeria’s yield per hectare with countries like Ethiopia and assess our fertiliser consumption per hectare. These questions can be surprising to the ministries, as historically, performance was not measured using such indicators.
This shift requires a recalibration of how ministries assess their work and achievements. Using global indicators is crucial for us to measure our progress in the agricultural sector and food security. It helps us evaluate yield per hectare, mechanisms for restocking food reserves, and overall sector performance. This new approach challenges existing understanding and implementation of performance assessments.
How does your office help Nigerians assess the performance of public office holders, including ministers and the agencies under them, and what is your assessment of their performance?
Regarding citizen feedback, we have a Citizen Delivery Tracker where citizens assess the performance of our ministers. We have compiled a report based on this feedback, indicating which ministers the citizens believe to be performing well and which are not.
We have taken the citizens’ assessments and compared them with empirical data on ministerial performance. Interestingly, the citizens’ perceptions closely align with the empirical data, indicating that the public’s assessment is quite accurate. This alignment validates both the citizens’ views and the empirical data regarding performing and non-performing ministries and sectors.
The citizen feedback is available to the public through our tracker, and we plan to publish this information at an appropriate time so that citizens can see the results of their assessments. However, the empirical data-based assessment will be disseminated as the President decides. The ministers are already aware of their performance standings, as we have engaged with them, detailing their respective deliverables and targets.
Each deliverable has a quarterly target, and ministers have seen their performance measured against these targets for the first quarter. Thus, they already have an assessment of their performance.
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How does your office help Nigerians accurately assess the performance of ministers and ensure that their evaluations are based on reliable data?
In fact, it’s a very interesting question because Mr. President is very keen on citizens’ assessments. This is something he always asks about. Every time we have a meeting, he wants to know, “What is the citizens’ assessment of what we’re doing?” I refer him to our tracker, which provides this information.
In certain instances, he has noted that some of the work being done is not recognised by citizens. This highlights the need for effective communication about the process and the life cycle of a project leading to its delivery. Mr. President is very conscious of this. In my last engagement with him, he was particularly focused on recognising the life cycle of a project based on citizens’ engagement and awareness.
Mr. President’s interest in inclusive governance is evident. He cares about what Nigerians feel about the performance of his ministries and wants the government to communicate the complete picture of their efforts. For example, to achieve effective power transmission, generation, and distribution, we need to address issues like cost-reflective tariffs, reinvestment in the sector, and the legal and regulatory environment necessary for unbundling the sector.
Communicating this to Nigerians and providing feedback is crucial. Following this, he directed that all ministers should have quarterly engagements with their stakeholders. This ensures stakeholders are aware of ongoing projects and initiatives, and ministers are held accountable for these engagements.
During these stakeholder engagements, ministers are required to explain the full cycle of their projects, detailing the steps being taken and what each step entails. This is a key outcome from the first quarter for all ministers to ensure stakeholders are adequately informed about the journey and the steps being taken.
In our scoring, we also evaluate ministers on milestone achievements. For example, a full-cycle project with a two-year completion time will have milestones assigned. Each milestone achievement will be scored, such as 20% for a significant milestone. We do not wait for project completion to be scored; instead, we assign scores progressively based on milestones achieved.
We also address the issue of shifting goalposts. Some sectors and agencies have been changing delivery timelines without valid reasons. Mr. President is aware of this and has made it clear that ministries and agencies that continue to shift goalposts for critical milestones will be held accountable.
What key accomplishments has the Office of the Special Advisor to the President on Policy and Coordination achieved that you are proud of so far?
We are very proud of our result delivery tracker, which we have unveiled. This tracker breaks down the delivery and indicators for every Nigerian citizen to see, enabling citizens to provide feedback. We are also proud of the fact that we have been able to hold ministries, departments, and agencies accountable. For the first time, ministers are actually engaging directly and ensuring that they meet their obligations.
Ministers are concerned about how their scorecards look. Having our subject matter experts seek verifiable evidence of completed work is an accomplishment we are proud of. We have also addressed policy deployment and conflicting policy positions within the government.
We have instituted a committee to define the process by which policies are enacted. This includes the necessary steps, procedures, and framework for policy deployment, formulation, and implementation. These are some of the significant impacts we have made as a unit.
There is still a lot for us to do, and I always say that we need all hands to be on deck to ensure our goals are achieved. The key aspect of performance management is…
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So, when you say all hands are on deck, which hands?
Achieving effective consequence management hinges on having clear performance metrics. I believe that’s where we stand currently. The president is unequivocal in his stance on holding individuals accountable for underperformance.
Our role is to present the President with data-driven recommendations that highlight both performance successes and shortcomings. Based on this evidence, the president will make informed decisions. The establishment of the CDCU (Centre for Data, Costs, and Performance) underlines the critical role of data gathering. As a nation, we must prioritise data planning based on empirical evidence.
Investing in data integrity is paramount. We must own our data and leverage it for evidence-based planning and performance measurement.
The Citizen Tracker platform revealed an interesting phenomenon. Some individuals were sponsoring others to advocate for them on the platform. We observed instances where groups of people would bombard comments related to a specific minister, attempting to manipulate the system with fabricated accounts.
Citizen Tracker comments are designed to be specific and actionable. For example, a valid comment might highlight an unfinished road in a particular village under the Ministry of Works’ purview or long wait times experienced by patients at a specific federal medical centre under the Ministry of Health.
One of the most surprising discoveries was the lack of self-assessment practices within various ministries. For instance, the Ministry of Health previously lacked metrics to measure patient wait times in federal medical centres. These are globally recognised performance indicators, and their implementation is crucial. Once established in federal medical facilities, these metrics can be cascaded down as a standard measurement tool.
It’s concerning that some institutions have deliberately avoided establishing performance indicators. We need to address this by instituting mandatory self-assessment practices.
Determining the impact of government initiatives also requires a clear understanding of responsibility allocation. We observed that performance indicators for crucial sectors like healthcare and education often reside at the sub-national level. When engaging with the Ministry of Education on secondary school education, we discovered that many indicators fall under the purview of state governments, raising questions of accountability.
Similarly, primary healthcare initiatives, particularly those related to antenatal care, are primarily managed at the sub-national level. This fragmented approach blurs accountability lines. Ownership of performance metrics extends beyond the federal civil service and ministerial officials; it encompasses sub-national entities as well.
Take youth funding and initiatives within the federal government as an example. We aggregated youth programmes across various ministries, departments, and agencies, and even within the legislative arm. The National Assembly, or the legislature, implements a significant portion of youth programmes and initiatives. This decentralised approach hinders the executive arm’s ability to comprehensively monitor these programmes.
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However, it’s crucial for Nigerians to have a holistic view of government spending on youth programmes, including National Assembly constituency projects. Currently, the Ministry of Youth’s budget might appear insufficient, but additional allocations might be scattered across other ministries and agencies. To address this, we categorised youth interventions into three distinct buckets, ensuring each initiative aligns with the appropriate category.
What contributions does this office foresee making to the success of this administration over the next three years, broken down into the next 12 months, the following 12 months, and the subsequent 12 months?
We expect to see tangible results supported by empirical data, showing how the administration has progressed in addressing the eight priority areas. This data will clearly illustrate the administration’s achievements and impact in these key areas.
How does your office engage Nigerians to take ownership of the work you do and see it as their own?
Okay, so we engage with citizen groups to ask them what accountability measures they want us to enforce on the ministers? For example, in agriculture, we ask stakeholders what problems they have, and we’ll make them deliverables for the ministry.
What are nationals doing in collaboration with the state and federal governments regarding the Farm to Market initiative and addressing waste issues?
There’s significant investment directed at minimising waste, particularly at the subnational level. The Ministry of Agriculture is actively establishing processing zones for semi-processed agricultural products in collaboration with state governments. For instance, the Governor of Benue State has engaged with the Minister of Agriculture to discuss attracting private sector investment to address this substantial waste issue, which is well documented at 40 percent. It’s a visible problem, especially during mango season, when mangoes are often left to rot on the roads.
Both the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Trade are actively involved in tackling this issue. Our conversations with them have helped identify key areas that will be included in ministries’ key performance indicators. We would like stories like: “At the beginning of this administration, it took NAFDAC nine months to certify my products; now, it takes only three weeks.” Such testimonies demonstrate how the administration has created pathways that previously did not exist.
Citizens should feel the government’s improvements firsthand. For example, when applying for documents, the process should be efficient. Airport security checks shouldn’t take unnecessarily long. People should feel safe enough to engage in various activities. These are the tangible impacts that matter to people. Any bureaucratic processes or documentation must directly enhance the lives of citizens within specific sectors to constitute effective governance. In the agricultural sector, we remind ourselves that we are all Nigerians, experiencing daily life and visiting markets. We continually ask ourselves: What improvements do we want to see the government make? Let’s not act as if we are separate from the system; we are all part of it, and our perspectives matter.
What legacy do you want Nigerians to remember you for, regardless of the office you hold, based on your contributions to the success of this administration led by President Bola Tinubu?
I want to be remembered for enhancing clear performance assessment within the administration, where the government recognises the value of data-driven evaluations. It’s not about personal preferences or state affiliations; it’s about substantive impact. How have you improved the lives of citizens in your sector? How have you simplified processes for stakeholders to say, ‘During the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, we achieved seamless operations’? Every ministry and agency should strive for this. By the end of our tenure, the administration aims to demonstrate significant impact across multiple sectors, supported by concrete data—not just anecdotal evidence or rhetoric, which politicians often rely on. Our goal is to use data to drive performance and evaluate ourselves before others do.
I want to remember having added value to a clear performance assessment of the administration where the government has realised the value of data-driven performance assessment. So, it’s not about whether you’re my favourite minister or whatever for my state. It’s about work. How have you been able to impact the lives of citizens within your sector? How have you made it easier for the stakeholders within your industry to say yes? While I’m at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, we were able to do things seamlessly, and that is what every ministry and every agency should seek to achieve, and that is what the administration would want at the end of the tenure to say we’ve been able to impact citizens across several sectors and with clear data to back it—not just stories but clear data—because as politicians, we tend to like to embellish and use language, propaganda, and sponsorship. What we seek to do is use data to drive performance and new data to assess ourselves before anyone else assesses us.
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How do you wish to institutionalise it into what you do?
I will work vigorously to integrate it into the civil service structure. There’s an executive order underpinning the result delivery framework, and we’re striving to implement it across all ministries by incorporating it into their operations. We’ve designated the Directors of Planning, Research, and Statistics in each ministry as heads of delivery, alongside other desk officers. Every agency is mandated to establish a delivery desk. We’ve developed a dashboard for communication with ministries through which they upload their documents and provide evidence of their work. Additionally, we’re enhancing the capacity of the Civil Service Development Centre (CDC) by training civil servants across the LEAD program. This programme targets high-performing civil servants with specialised training to ensure continuity and professionalism, regardless of changes in political leadership. The goal is to institutionalise and mainstream performance assessment and data-driven evaluation in Nigeria. We’ve also identified policy inconsistencies and contradictions in our processes. To address this, we’re collaborating with the National Institute to establish clear frameworks for policy formulation, implementation, and strategy. This includes ensuring policies are coherent and aligned, reducing conflicts, and ensuring intellectual contributions from our institutional think tanks are effectively utilised.
We are taking steps to engage our existing think tanks more effectively. We’ve noticed that some policies lack coherence or conflict with others. How are we using our government-owned think tanks, and to what extent are we leveraging their intellectual resources for policy formulation and implementation?
This is the first time I have heard this!
Yes, I visited Kuru in February. It’s crucial for us to focus on homegrown solutions to our challenges rather than relying solely on external international consultants. The existence of the National Institute as a federal government think tank provides us with a valuable resource to harness. Based on this, we have initiated a process with the National Institute to develop clear frameworks for policy formulation and implementation. This approach aims to eliminate policy contradictions and establish a historical repository of policies. For instance, we can trace our trade policy back to 1970 and examine its evolution over the years, which will help us assess our progress and direction. Similarly, our foreign policy should align with our economic goals, ensuring that our engagements abroad yield economic benefits. This dual focus—policy coordination and formulation, implementation, and performance assessment through empirical data—is central to the work of my office.
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