Jonathan, ministers sign performance contract •Exercise not for cabinet shake-up - President

THE Federal Government is to produce a bi-annual evaluation report on the performance of ministers, following the signing of Performance Contract between President Goodluck Jonathan and members of his cabinet.

Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, who, alongside his National Planning counterpart, Dr Shamsudeen Usman, briefed State House correspondents after the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in Abuja on Wednesday, said the ministers were fully committed to performance in line with the agreement.

Mr Maku said that the evaluation report was to ensure service delivery to Nigerians.

He added that the signing of the performance contract was an indication that the president was making progress on the Transformation Agenda.

Mr Maku also stated that the policy had been formally approved by FEC and had, therefore, become compulsory for the ministers to implement.

"There's no question about implementation. It is historic and will change the way things work in the country.

“It compels everyone in the public service to work for the good of the country," he remarked.

Also speaking, Dr Usman noted that the signing of the contract was a momentous occasion for the government and Nigerians, saying that it would help government's focus on performance, transparency and accountability.

Explaining the need for the contract, he stated that "unless we find a credible way of measuring performance, we will not know we are making progress."

Based on this, Dr Usman said, "we started by asking the ministers what the objectives of their ministries are, how can we measure the objectives and what are they supposed to deliver to Nigerians?"

He revealed that government drew inspiration from other countries, including the United Kingdom and South Africa, which have effectively applied similar performance contracts.

The National Planning Minister disclosed that some of the ministers had already drawn up parameters to assess agencies under their ministries while the National Planning Ministry provided technical support.

Meanwhile, President Jonathan has allayed fears of an impending cabinet reshuffle, following his directive to ministers to enter into a performance contract.

The president, while signing the contract, on Wednesday, explained that since it was no longer advisable to rely on the media for performance assessment, it was necessary for government to set up its own parameters to judge its progress.

"It gives all of us targets and you can assess yourself whether you are really achieving that target. You will not depend on what the newspapers will want to write, because the media today is highly politicised,” he said.

Furthermore, he noted: “I read all kinds of things in the media that the president wants to assess the ministers so that he will know who will go and who will stay. That is not the purpose of this.

"We would have done it probably in the first week when we came on board. The key thing is that, we have given ourselves points that we think we will get at."

He said the idea of the performance contract was not new as what government had done was to merely do it scientifically by setting up measurable parameters.

According to him, “it helps us to assess ourselves. You don’t wait for one person to assess you. I think that is one of the beauties of it and that is what is even done at the level of countries within Africa.

“We have the peer review. It is almost like performance, because when they are reviewing Nigeria, the President of Nigeria will create the parameters, where they are, where they want to go, compared with the past. It gives you the opportunity to work, because you have a target that you want to reach. It is for every department of government.”

Assuring the ministers that the exercise was not meant to witch-hunt, President Jonathan reminded political office holders that as representatives of the Nigerian people, they were accountable to them at all times.

He asserted that the signing of the performance contract was yet a reminder of his administration's commitment to service delivery for the common good of Nigerians.

He added: "Our objectives are clear: This administration is determined to ensure enhanced performance, transparency and accountability in governance.

"Though a relatively new concept in Nigeria, the Performance Contract System is geared towards improving performance and delivering quality and timely services to the citizenry, improving productivity and instilling a greater sense of accountability for effective service delivery.

"The performance contract that has been signed by each minister today is part of the process aimed at ensuring that we deliver on our mandate to Nigerian citizens. Already, we have spelt out the goals in the government’s Transformation Agenda to which every minister was given an opportunity to contribute.”

The president remarked that the citizenry expected government to be more proactive and effective in its actions, saying that Nigerians expected to be provided with the basic necessities of life to function more effectively in a competitive environment.

“Beyond the periodic ministerial press briefings as witnessed prior to the last Democracy Day celebrations, we must continue to set targets for ourselves by agreeing on outcomes to be achieved,” he stated.

He expressed his hope that the signing would be replicated at all levels in the various ministries with the ministers signing similar agreements with their permanent secretaries and heads of parastatal agencies.

Noting that government was determined to fulfil its promises to the people, he said: "We have set for ourselves a tough task and there is no going back. Nigerians expect a better deal from government and that is what they shall get, under my watch. And that is what each and everyone of you must see as your primary goal.”

Meanwhile, FEC has approved, in principle, a new policy on communication technology, following a memo presented by the Minister of Communication, Mrs Omobola Johnson.

According to the Information Minister, President Jonathan asked for the approval in principle, pending further discussion on the policy.
http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/lead-stories/46404-jonathan-ministers-sign-performance-contract-exercise-not-for-cabinet-shake-up-president

Good one Mr. President. Such performance evaluation is necessary and it is in the overall interest of the nation.