President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said the achievements of his administration would be counted based on the number of Nigerians that were moved out of poverty.
He said the economic focus of his administration would ensure inclusive growth.
Buhari disclosed this in his opening remarks at a presidential retreat organised by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for ministers-designate.
The retreat held inside the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja had “Delivering Change: From precepts to practice” as its theme.
The President said all government officials should count themselves privileged to have been chosen among millions of their compatriots at this time to be the instruments that will deliver the change the ruling party promised.
While describing the work of restoration and renewal as urgent and immense, Buhari described Nigerians’ expectations as high.
He added that government officials’ determination to succeed and change the fortunes of the country must be equal to the challenge.
He said he was convinced that in accepting his invitation to work for the nation, the ministers-designate were also equally determined to take part in what he described as a patriotic undertaking.
The President said with the retreat as their first official contact with the machinery of government, of which they will soon be part of, it is important that the ministers-designate are fully acquainted with the direction and priorities of the government so that all officials can move together as a team.
Buhari said, “My election as President of this country was hinged on my promise to tackle corruption, insecurity and revive the economy.
“We have already taken deliberate measures to plug leakages of government revenue and resources. You all know the steps we have taken to tackle Boko Haram. We have degraded them and in desperation, they are resorting to attacks on soft targets, killing innocent people.
“Diversification of the economy away from oil will be a major focus of this government. We will intervene in mining and agriculture and upgrade the country’s physical and social infrastructure, which will broaden our revenue base and significantly improve the level of employment, especially among the youth.
“Our economic focus will be policies that will ensure inclusive growth and we will count our achievements based on the number of Nigerians we move out of poverty.
“The objective of this retreat is clearly reflected in the choice of topics which you will be dealing with during the sessions. The need for observing the rule of law is being emphasised to ensure that impunity is removed from government conduct.
“You are coming on board the ship of governance at an interesting time. So much has been said about the state of our economy. It is expected that we make the running of government at all levels as lean as possible, avoid waste and conserve resources. As Ministers, you must be the vehicle that will administer the change.”
Buhari said his administration’s main task was to turn the party’s manifesto promises to practice and results.
Measure
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