In an effort to commence the implementation and actualization of the Change Agenda of the government of the day, most of the newly appointed ministers inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari last Wednesday as Federal Executive Council members have already hit the ground running.
Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has promised that his ministry would amongst other things ensure that roads are designed and built in such a way they would stand the test of time.
The minister, who also assured Nigerians of steady power supply, insisted that he would “design and build roads and houses that will stand the test of time. We want to know if some of those problems are man-made or systemic”.
Fashola also stated that his thoughts were on the need to collectively galvanize the three ministries under his supervision for effective and smooth administration such that they would guarantee success.
The high-performing ex-governor of Lagos also called on the civil servants under his supervision to come forth with information on how best to move forward what has being done and what is left undone.
Power, Works and Housing are some of the major challenges facing us that need to be fixed quickly.
It was the same zeal the minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh took to the ministry, when he vowed to reduce Nigeria’s $32 billion yearly food import bill as a matter of priority.
Chief Ogbeh also expressed concerns on the over-dependence on oil and gas by previous administrations which according to him is no longer profitable, thereby putting pressure on the agricultural sector for the purpose of earning foreign exchange.
According to him, “Oil and gas served Nigeria well. We did not manage the resources well. We can’t blame oil and gas. Now the pressure is on the agricultural sector”.
The minister admitted that, “The demand out there is very high if we can produce the right quantity and quality. We have to intensify research, marketing of food. We have to deal with reducing the import burden of food, almost $32billion a year. We have to decide all of us. I don’t know how somebody can explain importing banana to the country or Irish potatoes from South Africa or vegetables from South Africa into our shores”.
Similarly, the Minister of Transportation, Chuibuke Rotimi Amaechi, promised that under his supervision, the ministry will ensure that it revives and extends the rail system of transportation to every nook and cranny of the country where necessary, and above all, ensure that only air worthy aircraft that are properly licensed would be allowed to fly in the country henceforth.
According to the former Rivers state governor, the revival and extension would boost economic activities; he also called on staff of the ministry to resist the temptation of engaging in any sharp practices as he would not be in a position to defend any of them.
He pleaded with them not to offer bribe or money, stressing that, the era of impunity is over, “we should not give room to corruption. If you are asked to pay, you pay, if your aircraft license expires and if some aircraft are in bad shape, they should not be allowed to fly because human lives will be lost”.
Amaechi reminded the staff of the ministry of the enormity of work required, adding that such challenge does not warrant any form of praise singing.
Also to hit the ground running was the minister for Interior, General A. Dambazzau (rtd), who promised that his ministry would ensure measures are put in place to guarantee internal security and peace.
Senator Chris Ngige, the minister of Employment and Labour promised that his ministry will take the driver’s seat in the quest for job creation for the teeming unemployed Nigerians in fulfilment of the campaign promises of the present administration.
His words, “We will be at the forefront of the battle to stop the scourge of unemployment. We must as a people put on our thinking caps so that we can chart the way forward for employment generation”.
Former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, heads the Ministry of Solid Minerals, a sector that is believed to be equally a top priority of the Buhari administration, considering its untapped potentials. He stressed the need and plan of government to re-position the sector as a major contributor to the economic growth of the country, adding that everything that needs to be done to get the sector up and running would be done.
For the minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, it was a promise to ensure that Telecommunications and Information Technology become the nation’s cash cow under the present administration.
According to Shittu, “we can tap on the agriculture to recover lost grounds in terms of revenue generation and finances, but this takes time, but God has helped us in this country with our large population that uses telecommunication and IT in their daily lives.
“That means that telecommunications will serve as the new cash cow for the country and I am going to pursue this and I want all of you in the ministry to join me in evolving policies that will make us have the best that we can in terms of income generation from telecommunication technology”.
It was the same from minister of the Federal Capital Territory, where Alhaji Mohammed Bello promised to work with all stakeholders to take Abuja to a greater level.
- We hope that these Ministers will match their words with action.
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