ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE SWEARING-IN OF SECRETARY TO
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERATION AND MINISTERS AT STATE HOUSE,
ABUJA, TODAY, WEDNESDAY 21ST AUGUST 2019
Protocols:
Today marks another milestone in the history of my second term in Office,
after Nigerians overwhelmingly voted the All Progressives Congress during the
2019 general elections. The outcome of the election was a clear testimony of
the strong confidence of our people in this Administration, and we must not let
them down.
Over the past four years, we have made enormous progress in tackling difficult
challenges faced by the country. We have exited the country from recession,
restored economic growth, curbed inflation and shored up our external
reserves. As a result, we have witnessed eight quarters of consistent growth
over the past two-and-a-half years, providing more opportunities to more
Nigerians.
However, our nation continues to face tough challenges, and we are determined
to build on the progress of the last 4 years in order to fundamentally shift
Nigeria’s trajectory and improve the wellbeing of our people.
Today, I am pleased to inaugurate 43 new Ministers who will work with me and
the Vice President in our service to the people of Nigeria. You were chosen
from each of the 36 States of the Federation, and most importantly, you share
my commitment to working tirelessly for the people of this country and to
achieving a future where every Nigerian can reach his/her full potential.
I believe you are ready to get to work. Indeed, the work has already started.
For the past two days, you were with me at the retreat. The retreat which was
conducted with clear focus on the roadmap towards the delivery of
Government Policies, Programmes and Projects for 2019-2023. During the
period, I shared my vision for Nigeria and what our priorities will be for the next four years. These priorities are the pillars on which we can build a better
Nigeria.
As you are aware, the core objectives of this Administration are to improve
security, achieve diversified, inclusive economic growth and fight corruption. I
am convinced that we can build a buoyant economy that supports inclusive
growth and creates broad-based prosperity for every Nigerian – one that will
absorb the two million Nigerians entering the labour market each year, as well
as reduce the backlog of over 20 million unemployed or underemployed
Nigerians.
We must also intensify efforts to reduce internal security threats and eliminate
corruption at all levels so as to ensure that our citizens have a safe and
corruption-free environment where they can live and conduct their businesses,
without fear and intimidation.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, all these are only possible if we are
relentless about delivering on the priorities that are vital to our overall
objectives – and on the specific actions and targets that have been identified
to guide policy direction and implementation as specified in our roadmap.
I am pleased to note that at the end of the retreat, we have agreed and
prioritized the key strategic initiatives required to drive socio-economic growth
in our country, which must be accomplished, because the people of Nigeria
expect nothing less from us. We have also agreed on the appropriate Key
Performance Indicators and deliverables to be achieved in the road map on
Government priorities – 2019 – 2023.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, our primary business over the next four
years is to work together towards delivering the results that the people of
Nigeria expect from us. We have a great opportunity as an Administration to
build on the progress already made in order to fundamentally shift Nigeria’s
trajectory on the path of steady growth and development.
While recognizing the existing challenges, and the urgent need to surmount
them, we must not fail to note the progress we have made since inception. Our
economic policy, which is the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, is still
robust and on course with the necessary policies and initiatives to sustain the
country’s exit from recession, engender growth and promote the value chain of
infrastructural development. We believe that we can sustain our legacies and
developmental strides if they are based on sustainable policies and good
governance.
Let me also emphasize that, as heads of your respective Ministries, and for
effective implementation of your mandates, you are required to work closely
with the Permanent Secretaries and Chief Executive Officers of Agencies under
your purview. This has become necessary considering the fact that, the task of
moving the country to the Next Level requires dedication, focus, and collective
effort.
I must emphasize the importance of communication and harmony within our
government. You must work in harmony with your fellow Ministers.
Communication – vertical and horizontal can only be ignored at a price. As I
said yesterday, in terms of coordinating communication, kindly ensure that all
submissions for my attention or meeting requests be channelled through the
Chief of Staff. While all Federal Executive Council matters be coordinated
through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in order to speed
up the process of decision-making.
We can only make meaningful progress in our national restoration efforts if we
all commit ourselves to addressing the challenges confronting our nation in the
best interest of our people and posterity. We must not allow such issues as
political affiliation, sectional interest, and primordial loyalties to blind us
against our patriotic obligation to drive our nation’s growth, development, and
prosperity in an atmosphere of enduring peace, security and stability.
International Community Focus On Nigeria: What Changed Between 2015 And
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Dear Honourable Ministers, as you are aware, the Federal Executive Council
Meeting is held on a weekly basis. As part of efforts towards ensuring effective
delivery on our priorities, I have directed the Secretary to the Government of
the Federation to track the progress against what we have committed to do to
achieve these objectives. He is therefore expected to report the process of
implementation and outcome to the Federal Executive Council.
I am pleased to note that each of you is committed to be part of an
administration that will work for all Nigerians—part of a government that will do
what is right and best at all times for our people, even when it is difficult. This
is therefore an opportunity for you, it is a call to serve and collectively build a
safer, more prosperous, and fair nation.
In conclusion, I am pleased to inform you that the Federal Ministries have been
further expanded to ensure effective service delivery. The Ministers are
therefore allocated portfolios as follows:
On this note, I wish to formally inaugurate the new members of the Federal
Executive Council.
Thank you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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