President Bola Tinubu is set to flag off a three-step approach to the assessment of his ministers and heads of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) ahead of his first year in office.
The aim is to provide a platform that will allow members of the public to make inputs about the ministers that will be retained and those that may be asked to go, as the government marks its first year in office on May 29, 2024.
Credible sources at the Presidential Villa, Abuja told BusinessDay on Monday that the President would have launched the platform on Tuesday, which will enable Nigerians to provide feedback on their assessment of each minister and their performance.
BusinessDay gathered that the flag-off of the platform has been shifted to next week, to enable the office of the Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, headed by Hadiza Bala-Usman, to complete the process.
A source said: “This will be done at three different levels. First, you have members of the public who can through the platform get relevant information on the President Bola Tinubu’s targets for each ministry and through that give feedback on the performance of each minister based on the targets provided.
“The next stage will be an evaluation carried out by the Policy Coordination Office, and lastly, a group of consultants will also give their assessments on the ministers’ performance. So, these will be the basis for determining which minister stays and those that will leave the cabinet because of poor performance.”
Bala-Usman had earlier indicated that Tinubu “will drop ministers who do not deliver on their mandates”.
She gave the indication at the opening of a technical retreat organised for delivery desk officers of federal ministries, to train them on implementation of presidential priorities and ministerial deliverables, in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital.
She warned that the “President is serious about delivering on his promise to make life better and easier for Nigerians”.
“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,” she said at the time.
The retreat, according to her, “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”.
The President had tasked the Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, soon after the ministerial retreat on November 3, 2023, to “immediately activate the performance tracking system in a way that maximally leverages on cutting-edge digital innovation to provide real time oversight capability for the benefit of all Nigerians”.
The President also charged the ministers to demonstrate diligence, innovative thinking, commitment, and an unrelenting focus on result, saying: “I want to reiterate that the Renewed Hope Agenda is about 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 healthcare, and reducing poverty. It is about ensuring that all Nigerians have the opportunity to succeed. “I know that we have a lot of work ahead of us, but I am confident we can achieve our goals. We have a strong team in place, and we are committed to working together to build a better future for Nigeria.
“Let me remind you that our people are not interested in excuses, political games, or procrastination. Neither am I. They are interested in tangible results. They seek solutions to the problems that have long plagued our great nation. The challenge before us demands that we must put aside personal ambitions and focus on adhering to the performance bond we have all signed up to on this day. These performance bonds represent a contract we must uphold.”
The President also emphasised the importance of data in governance, saying: “Data is the life-blood of effective governance. It enables us to understand the challenges we face so that we can design and implement effective solutions as well as monitor and evaluate our progress. Without data, we are flying blind.”
It was also gathered on Monday that the Policy Coordination Office will rely mostly on the recommendations made at the first ministerial retreat, in assessing the achievements of each minister.
The retreat had recommended the encouragement of an open bidding system for all contracts to be executed by this administration to allow for transparency.
They were also expected to improve alignment of the budget for the MDAs to the president’s vision, strategic goals, and relevant key performance indicators, as well as standardise checklists detailing appointment criteria for ministers and heads of agencies.
Ministers, presenting memoranda at the Federal Executive Committee meeting, are required to be accompanied by their permanent secretaries to hasten information flow.
Others include the need to evaluate the efficiency of previous federal government intervention programmes and conduct proper pre- and post-project assessments to determine the efficacy of the programmes.
The recommendations include: “Improve judicial process by allowing promoted judges to complete pending cases in their new positions. Revive the executive-legislature conference/tripartite meetings to discuss pre-budget issues ahead of time. Define consequences and accelerate prosecution of individuals, including lawmakers, who do not complete contracts awarded to them.
The MDAs were also to reform the economy to deliver sustained inclusive growth, reform tariff structure to enable trade while still supporting domestic production, as well as Incorporate more equity financing rather than debt financing for fiscal operations.
The government annual budget was also to align with strategic priorities, as well as review the implication of forward contracts on the economy.
“Set up a steering committee to review the issues around the national single window, as well as the need to strengthen national security for peace and prosperity.”
The government agencies were also directed to Intensify efforts to block revenue leakages in the police force, just as they were to engage with governors to strengthen security at local government levels while addressing issues of autonomy and governance.
“Have a collaborative and collective approach at the state level to address security challenges, in collaboration with the federal government. Develop and facilitate effective information gathering and sharing mechanisms between and among states, communities, and the federal government and prioritise the clean-up of Ogoni communities.”
The retreat said the government will target agriculture to achieve food security, utilise technology to increase agricultural yield, as well as Intensify efforts to erect the green wall to stop encroachment of deserts in northern Nigeria.
Also in the area of agriculture, the government was mandated to Intensify efforts to reduce post-harvest losses by driving investments into storage and value addition, embark on efforts to check coastal erosion and enhance dry-season farming and promote commercial livestock farming.
In the power and energy sector, the government was also mandated to unlock the energy and natural resources for sustainable development, develop a 10-year plan to increase power generation capacity in line with the country’s needs, set up a super grid in line with the nation’s generation targets and create semi-autonomous regional grids and overhaul the structure and coverage of the distribution companies.
The government was mandated to develop a roadmap for the steel industry, revive power plant projects that have been previously paused, including the Ajaokuta Steel plant, and drive investments into the upstream petroleum sector, with clear targets while making provisions for sanctions for non-performance and inefficiencies.
Others include a stronger focus on education, health, and social development as essential pillars of development, while also opening up the sports sector for businesses by attracting infrastructure, incentives, and investments, as well as pursuing the attainment of universal health coverage.
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