NEWLY sworn-in
ministers, yesterday, on their first day in office, unveiled the measures they
would adopt to drive and actualise President Muhammadu Buhari’s change agenda.
Speaking on a day that
mixed views trailed the assignment of portfolios to the cabinet members, the
ministers promised not to leave any stone unturned in the effort to develop the
country.
Ministers, who charted
the way forward yesterday include, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN),
Minister of Power, Works and Housing. Senator Chris Ngige, Labour and
Employment, Aisha Mohammed, Environment; Rotimi Amaechi, Transport; and
Alhaji Mohammed Bello, Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA.
I’ll
ensure service delivery, draw up power roadmap —Fashola
Fashola, who was received with ovation by workers at the Federal
Secretariat at 3.15 p.m as he assumed duty after the inauguration of the
federal cabinet by President Buhari, assured Nigerians of his preparedness to
bring together processes and activities of all the ministries now put under his
supervision for effective service delivery.
Fashola was ushered into the office by Mrs Grace Papka, the
Director in charge of Human Resources of the ministry and thereafter went into
private meeting with the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Louis Edozien and directors
in the ministry.
Similarly, the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing,
Alhaji Mustapha Baba Shehuri, also arrived at the complex where he joined the
minister and the directors at the meeting.
Fashola assured the ministry’s leadership of his willingness to
learn from them as they are career people who have been on the job for a long
time.
He said: “We are here to work with you in solving problems on
ground as quickly as possible. We want to know if some of those problems are
man-made or systemic. We want information on what has been done, what remains
to be done, and what are the future plans. We want to continue from there.”
The Minister said he is also interested in how best to harness the
available human resource assets in the ministry and the physical assets, ‘’as
all these information will assist us as we hit the ground running. We
need to do more so as to regain lost time.”
He told his audience that Nigerians are anxiously waiting for
result, which in this case, is improved power supply nation-wide. Also speaking
the Minister of State, Power, Works and Housing, Alhaji Shehuri, said that as a
matter of urgency, he wants a detailed ministerial briefing document to serve
as a guide as this will ensure proper take off.
The Director, Human Resources, Mrs. Grace Papka, gave copies of
the requested documents to the two ministers and a time-table for proposed
briefings by Departments and Agencies in the power sector.
Environment
improvement: We will keep to time frame —Aisha Mohammed
On her part, the Minister of Environment, Aisha Mohammed said she
is ready to achieve the mandate given to the ministry by President Buhari.
Aisha stated this during her maiden ministerial press briefing,
where she said the ministry will ensure that the time frame given to it will be
used to make sure that the environment improves.
She said: “As the minister of state has reiterated, there is a
time frame and within that time frame we have to deliver the dividends of this
administration to our people.”
According to her: “The one commitment that we can make is that as
we read through this brief that you’ve got here, it is about us building on the
successes that we have in this ministry and ensuring that the teams that we
have are working effectively with the skills that will take it to another
level.
“It certainly can’t be business as usual because the President has
said it and I hope that the Ministry of Environment will give the support to
the Minister of State and myself to make real difference and to be a role model
for what we mean by that in the country.
“The country has environmental issues everywhere. There is no part
of this country that is devoid of the challenges that we have and what we need
to do is to find the resources, those that are within the country and the other
two tiers of government, the resources that are outside the borders of Nigeria
to make sure that we make a considerable impact with what we have.’’
In his remark, the Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim
Usman Jubril, said he and the Minister will work as a team “because only with
concerted effort and team work can we move this ministry and the nation
forward.”
In this regard he said, “we ask for your cooperation. Remember
that political appointees have no patience because time is not on their side.’’
We
will create massive employment —Ngige Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris
Ngige, assured Nigerians that his ministry will make frantic efforts in
creating jobs for the teeming Nigerian youths.
Addressing members of the management and staff of the Federal
Ministry of Labour and Employment on his assumption of duty in Abuja, Senator
Ngige said that the government would wage war against unemployment in the
country.
“We will be at the fore-front of the battle to stop the scourge of
unemployment in the country. We must as a people put on our thinking caps so
that we can chart the way forward for employment generation,” he said.
He emphasized that government alone cannot provide everybody with
employment as it can only create enabling environment for all other sectors to
thrive, adding that the Ministry of Labour and Employment is part of the
engineering that will pave the way for the private sector to generate jobs
through development focused labour laws.
Senator Ngige affirmed zero tolerance for leakages and corrupt
practices in the country, saying: “We are the catalysts, the change agents of
the change era. If we block leakages in our systems the country will be better
for it, as resources will be made available for the economic growth of the
nation.”
Also speaking, the Minister of State, James Ocholi, SAN, expressed
confidence in the expertise of the management and staff of the ministry, which
he believes, is in line with the change mantra of the present administration
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr.
Clement Illoh, assured the ministers of the full cooperation of the management
and staff of the ministry including its agencies, to actualise their mandates.
I
hate protocol, praise-singing, gossip – Amaechi tells Transport, Aviation
agencies, directors Minister of Transport and Aviation, Mr Rotimi
Amaechi, yesterday read the riot act to Ministries, Departments and Agencies
(MDAs) and directors of the merged ministries, that he would not entertain any
form of sycophancy from them.
The minister, who was accompanied by Minister of State for
Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and the new Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Alhaji
Sabiu Zakari, told the agencies under the merged ministries that he would not
tolerate unnecessary protocol, praise-singing and gossips.
Amaechi, whose receptive ambience relaxed the tension that came
with his presence at the Ministry of Transport, said he would have no problem
with any agency or staff for as long as they go about their work diligently.
He said he had come to the Transport and Aviation Ministry to work
in line with the change mantra of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The Minister promised to complete all abandoned rail projects in
the country, saying that a fully functional rail system will ameliorate
transportation difficulties in addition to creating employment.
He said: “Rail transport is the easiest thing to achieve if you
get capable hands. We are going to work towards completing abandoned rail
projects. They will help create employment and ease mass transportation of
people. Our mandate is to deliver quality service to the people in accordance
with the change agenda,” he said.
Speaking on his personal principles, the Minister said: “If you
come to me to gossip about anyone, be rest assured that l will tell the person
concerned that this is what you said and you will be there to defend yourself,
wrong or right.
“I am not as bad as they say. A lot of names have been given to me
but I believe in principles. I don’t like protocols. When I say I hate
corruption, I mean it. I don’t give bribe and I don’t take either. If you want
to relate with me don’t give me money and don’t ask me for money.
“Just do your job creditably. Don’t see me on the road and run
away. I am not as bad as they paint me. I don’t steal and l don’t befriend
thieves and don’t put me in a position that l will not be able to call a thief,
thief. Let us be friends because l am here to learn.”
Meanwhile, Amaechi said he would resume fully next week Tuesday,
stating that by then he would have been fully abreast with the two ministries
from briefs between yesterday and November 17, 2015 when he would meet with all
the member of staff of the two ministries.
He, therefore, advised the staff of the ministry to brace up for
quality service, bearing in mind that they had a mandate to achieve. He said:
“It is important that we realise we have a mandate and to also have it at the
back of our minds that there is huge competition among the MDAs on which will
deliver first.”
Speaking earlier, the new Permanent Secretary of the ministry,
Alhaji Sabiu Zakari, promised the minister his full cooperation, support and
readiness of staff to work in line with the change mandate to deliver efficient
rail, ports and general transportation system.
Your task is enormous, Tinubu tells ministers
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