President Muhammadu Buhari has directed cabinet ministers and permanent secretaries to promote the culture of performance in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government.
The president, who gave the directive at the end of the two-day mid-term ministerial performance review retreat, also instructed the ministers to ‘‘ramp up implementation’’ of their mandates along with the nine priority areas of the administration.
The president also stressed the need for synergy between the fiscal and monetary authorities in the country to keep the economy on the trajectory of growth. He noted that intensive discussions at the retreat provided an opportunity to reflect on what this administration had done and areas needed to improve on and refocus attention.
“The retreat provided an opportunity for us to undertake an objective assessment of our stewardship in line with the contract we signed with the Nigerian people to deliver on our electoral promises.
“From the assessment report and discussions at this retreat, I am glad to note that progress has been made towards the achievement of our objectives.
“The independent performance assessment report presented on day one of the retreat indicates that significant progress has been achieved in the delivery of the ministerial mandates.
“Distinguished participants, the discussions at the retreat have prompted the need for us to ramp up implementation on the deliverables.
“We must close the gaps in our implementation efforts to ensure that we attain set targets by 2023,’’ he said.
Buhari, therefore, directed the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to immediately begin the process of convening quarterly coordination meetings for each priority area based on the collaborative results framework.
According to him, the aim of these meetings is to ascertain the status of implementation across the nine priority areas, identify bottlenecks, and proffer immediate solutions.
“All ministers and permanent secretaries must be in attendance. These are not meetings to delegate,’’ he said.
The president further instructed the Office of the SGF to immediately commence engagement with stakeholders to agree and push forward a framework for the institutionalisation of the central delivery coordinating unit.
Read also: Budget of Economic Growth and Sustainability – Full speech
“All ministers and permanent secretaries are to promote a robust performance culture across the MDAs by setting up intra-ministerial delivery task teams,” he said.
Similarly, the president directed the Head of Service to, as a matter of urgency, invest in capacity strengthening of the Planning, Research and Statistics Departments in all MDAs.
‘‘This should be done in collaboration with the Central Delivery Coordinating Unit,’’ he said.
While underscoring the need for synergy between the fiscal and monetary authorities, the president assured Nigerians that his administration would continue to implement fiscal measures to improve domestic revenues.
He added that the Federal Government would continue to mobilise external funding support to build a more resilient economy.
The president pledged that issues around expanding access to quality education, affordable healthcare and productivity of Nigerians would be given priority attention within the period of this administration.
“We will sustain all ongoing efforts in rebuilding our health system through targeted investment in the health sector, especially our vaccination drive to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
“This administration remains committed to providing the education and training required for employment and entrepreneurship, particularly using technology to impact the relevant skills on our youths.
“Our Social Investment Programmes will be sustained in the coming years.
“We will continue to reach out to the poorest and most vulnerable households through the National Cash Transfer Programme and other initiatives of the government,’’ he said.
According to the president, the ministry of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development has been directed to come up with a legislative framework for social protection that also guarantees its funding stream.
He added that in view of the critical role of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in economic growth and development, efforts would be geared towards removing all bottlenecks that militate against access to government support schemes by SMEs.
“Government will adopt a holistic approach to industrialisation that is aligned with Nigeria’s aspirations and requirements, working closely with key stakeholders in the private sector.
“We will continue to support SMEs in view of their multiplier effect on the economy,” he said. NAN
