Count yourselves lucky, Buhari tells his ministers

President Muhammadu Buhari wants the incoming members of his cabinet to consider themselves privileged to have been chosen to serve the country at this point in time.

Speaking on Thursday while flagging off a two-day retreat for the 36 ministers-designate in Abuja, Buhari charged them to give their best towards ensuring the success of his government.

He identified the priorities of his administration as the diversification of the economy, tackling of insecurity and fighting corruption, and advised the incoming ministers to key into his objectives.

Tagged: ‘Delivering Change from Precepts to Practice’, the programme held at the presidential villa, with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and other top government officials in attendance.

“We must count ourselves privileged to have been chosen among millions of our compatriots at this historic time to be the instruments that will deliver the change we have promised,” he said.

“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.

“My election was hinged on the promise to tackle corruption, insecurity, revive the economy and bring change. As ministers, you must be the vehicle that will administer the change,” he said.

“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 the system of government.

“It is expected that we make the running of government at all levels as lean as possible, avoid waste and conserve resources. 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.”

“I expect you to have a better understanding of the context in which we have taken the challenge of serving our country, as well as the strategies we have adopted to tackle them. I would also expect you to be even more determined to work as a team, and to live up to the high standards of probity and integrity which Nigerians expect of us.

“Effective communication at all levels is vital in modern management. You must keep in touch with your fellow ministers and share information, so that the conduct of government will be more efficient.”

The retreat is organised by the secretary to the government of the federation in conjunction with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).