President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration has embarked on implementation of policies, programmes and projects aimed at closing the gap between the different classes to bring joy to a greater number of the citizens.

The president stated this in Abuja on Tuesday at the end of the two-day First Year Ministerial Performance Review Retreat, organised by the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation to assess the performance of government in the last one year.

He observed that already the policies, programmes and projects had started yielding fruitful results.

He said: “Within these few days we have examined the numerous policies, programmes and projects this administration had embarked upon which are targeted at lifting our people from the shackle of poverty, protect their lives and property and ensure equitable distribution of the nation’s wealth.

“We aim to gradually close the gap between the different classes to bring joy to a greater number of the citizens.

“I’m glad that these policies, programmes and projects have recorded appreciable successes.

“Our renewed vigour on agriculture has been demonstrated through our Anchor Borrower Programme and the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative.’’

The president, therefore, challenged all cabinet members and senior government officials to defend the government vigorously and not allow “any irresponsible and politically motivated statements’’ to keep spreading falsehoods about the All Progressives Congress-led administration.

He also reminded them that the days of insufficient collaboration, coordination and synergy among implementing Ministries, Departments and Agencies should be over.

He, therefore, appealed for more collaboration and synergy among government agencies, so as to enhance development.

“In this regard, I have directed that essential coordination delivery unit in the office of the secretary of the government of the federation should be revived to ensure we focus on results.

“The Secretary to the Government Federation is to ensure regular reports on progress submitted.

“I have charged all of you to defend the government vigorously and not allow any irresponsible and politically motivated statements to keep spreading falsehoods about this government.

“Information to the public should be better packaged, go on the offensive, we are proud of our achievements and we should blow our own trumpets.’’

The president maintained that his administration could not afford to fail Nigerians, who invested their trust in the government.

“I am hereby charging Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and all heads of parastatals to be continuously conscious of their commitment and responsibilities.

“On behalf of the people of Nigeria, I demand the uttermost level of performance, deliverables and results.

“I look forward to a result orientated year with tremendous benefits that will continue to change the lives of our people positively,” he added.

Buhari also noted with delight that the administration under his leadership had learnt lessons in the last one year that would further enhance performance.

He said: “I am confident that the lessons we have learnt in the last one year of implementation of policies, programmes and projects, deliberations and resolutions form the different sessions as well as experience sharing from various speakers, will serve as the needed tool to propel every ministry to the next level of achievement.

“More importantly, the trust reposed in us by Nigerians remains the ultimate driving force.

“We cannot afford to lose focus, regardless of the challenges. Our eyes must therefore remain fixed on the ultimate goal.

“More than ever before, I charge us to play as a team, because that is what we are, to this end, the days of insufficient collaboration, coordination and synergy among implementing Ministries, Departments and Agencies should be over,” he said.

The Nigerian leader then directed the office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation to reactivate its Central Delivery Coordination unit to enhance performance.

“In this regard, I have directed that the Central Delivery Coordination unit in the office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation should be revived to ensure the much-needed synergy and focus on results.

“The Secretary to Government of the Federation is to ensure regular reports on progress are submitted,” he said.

The president also directed Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure speedy and timely release of funds to MDAs for implementation of the N2.3 trillion economic sustainability plan and the capital projects in the 2020 budget.

He, therefore, enjoined ministers to ensure efficient and transparent utilization of funds released for the implementation of the programmes and projects under the nine priorities areas of government.

Earlier in his remarks, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, noted that the Buhari administration had made some progress, adding that “we have the potential to do more in order to transform our country and improve the lives of our people’’.

He revealed that, based on the independent assessment of the Performance on Ministerial Mandates across the Ministries by the staff of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and their Technical Partners and the plenary conversations, five key issues emerged:

i. The need to review and reprioritize the interventions in the Ministerial mandates to meet the new emerging socio-economic environment and deliver on Presidential priorities.

ii. The need for Key Performance Indicators and annual targets that smartly define success of interventions in each priority area for improved performance assessment going forward.

iii. The need for inter-agency collaboration to drive delivery and synergy among implementing MDAs.

iv. The need to accelerate the implementation of the Economic Sustainability Plan in order to respond to the challenges associated with COVID-19 pandemic; and

v. Adequacy and timeliness of fund releases to execute projects and programmes of the Ministerial mandates.

According to him, as part of the strategy towards ensuring effective realization of these objectives, the OSGF will sustain the ongoing discussions after the retreat with ministers with a view to “reviewing and re-prioritizing interventions in the light of the lessons learnt, so that we can deliver as agreed.’’

He, therefore, stressed the need for ministers and heads of agencies under their supervision to work together to strengthen inter-agency collaboration to drive delivery and synergy among implementing MDAs.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-day retreat was declared open on Monday by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on behalf of President Buhari, who was away to Niger Republic, to attend the 57th Summit of Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS.

© 2020 Guardian Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.

Really?

What a joy-giving man you are! Bravo!

Joy giver

carry on sir, 99% of Nigerians are happy with your style of leadership.

Dunce

What an idiot.

sincerely, I hardly blame you guys these days....it's the zombies following you that I blame

"...to bring joy to northerners" he meant I guess.

Lifestyle isn't inequality. A man rejects school, industries, and knowledge because of religious belief and lifestyle, yet Buhari wants us to believe it is systemic inequality. Bigotry at its finest.

He closed the gap by bring the richer folks to a poorer state instead of upgrading the poorer folks to a richer state. Typical black man "crab in a bucket" mentality.

yarimo:
carry on sir, 99% of Nigerians are happy with your style of leadership.

When you sit in your BMC camp and make bogus claims that puts you in the know as regards what people think, you know mental breakdown is on.

LaboPolitics:
What a joy-giving man you are! Bravo!

Reverse joy. The reason he won't consider opening the border even with the alleged rice harvest shortage caused by rain. He knows his unequal brothers will feed their families first before selling to southerners at inflated rate so he is happy to make these kind of statements even with the hardship on ground.

Someone that has gradually wiped out the middle class of the society..

How are you doing that

Which gap? During national lockdown, your wife went to Dubai to treat neck pain while Nigerians are given Vit-C and paracetamol to treat corona and one governor was collecting 400,000naira per corona patient
E bi like say "fura" no dey allow dis man tink well again o! No bi one of hin minister dem just carry go Germany for only God knows what illness? Meanwhile Nigerians are facing doctors strike in a dilapidated and illequiped hospitals!

yarimo:
carry on sir, 99% of Nigerians are happy with your style of leadership.

99% of ABOKI are happy with your styles of leadership, cause they're used to impoverished by thier leaders !

Stupid old fool

NO. YOU'RE RUBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL AND IMPOVERISHING THE PEOPLE MORE.

IT'S BUHARINOMICS TO INCREASE MINIMUM WAGE FROM N18000 TO N30000 AND PENSIONS FROM N32000 TO N33000. WHERE IS SOCIAL ECONOMICS?

Buhari rubbing it in our faces

NO. YOU'RE RUBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL AND IMPOVERISHING THE PEOPLE MORE. No Social Justice.

That's the marxist mantra : class equality. Level everybody not by improving their lives but by reducing all to poverty class.

The middle class in Nigeria is fast disapering under Buhari and that's how communist tyrants like society to be. Instead if a thriving bourgeoisie class and the one percent billioniares class with a minority poverty class, you get a majority serf population with a 0.01% trillioniare class ccomposed exclusively of the ruling class and party men. See Oshiomole for reference.

Communism in my opinion is extreme capitalism and facism which only benefits members of the commisars.

Kill all communists before they kill you.

orisa37:
NO. YOU'RE RUBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL AND IMPOVERISHING THE PEOPLE MORE. No Social Justice.

That's what collectivism implies. Steal from the most productive citizenry, keep majority of the loot and hand scraps to the plebs that worship you.

SluttanSlayer:


That's what collectivism implies. Steal from the most productive citizenry, keep majority of the loot and hand scraps to the plebs that worship you.

Buharinomics.