President Bola Tinubu today declared that he must succeed by all means to deliver on the expectations of Nigerians who brought him into office and has therefore charged his ministers and other government officials to help him in this direction.
He spoke at the opening of a three-day retreat with the theme, “Delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda,” organized for ministers, presidential aides, permanent secretaries, and top government officials at the presidential villa in Abuja, reports The Guardian.
He reiterated that as a human being, he will make mistakes, saying when such errors are pointed out to him, he will immediately correct them and added that “you are here to help me succeed.”
Tinubu declared that he is president for all Nigerians irrespective of whether they are affiliated to political parties or not, noting that the country is one big family with people partitioned into different rooms.
“I’m here to give direction to this family making sure the relationship is stronger by giving hope to our people,” he said.
Addressing the participants, he warned that the civil service should not see the ministers as those who will come and go and “you will be there.”
He further advised that the ministers should not be seen as opportunistic individuals but people to partner with to contribute positively to the growth of the nation.
Tinubu said that he has accepted the assets and liabilities of his predecessors, telling the participants that as chaos exists around them, they must be focused like one driving in a tunnel to deliver the goods.
While noting that his administration has spent the last six months “reviewing ourselves,” he stressed the importance of good healthcare and quality education, which he said is the best weapon against poverty.
The president assured foreign investors that they will be able to bring in their capital, invest and repatriate their gains without problems.
He said that at the end of the retreat, a bond of understanding will between the participants himself, noting: “If you’re performing, nothing to fear. If you’re not performing, we review and if you cannot perform, you leave us.”
He assured them of a free hand to carry out their responsibilities, admonishing them to ask questions about how, when to do their jobs.
