Last week did not pass without the significant event of PBAT presenting the 2024 budget before the joint session of the National Assembly. It was an historic occasion where the President presented a whopping amount of N27 trillions as the budget proposal for the next fiscal year. And this was the first in his lifetime as the Executive President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Tagged the Budget of Renewed Hope, the features of the financial plan actually depict a very clear vision aimed at addressing the challenges of insecurity, the burden of economic hardship and the frustration of joblessness being encountered by the people. The budget actually prioritizes critical issues of national defence and internal security, job creation, macroeconomic stability, investment environment optimization, human capital development, poverty reduction and social security.
With the proposed students loan scheme commencing in January, relief has come the way of the students in tertiary institutions. Under the watch of PBAT, no student will drop out of school for financial reasons except he/she decides not to take advantage of the loan opportunities. This innovation has been captured in the Renewed Hope Budget of 2024. And it is being applauded by those that know the value of education without tears.
It is of interest to note that PBAT is leading by example and his team members are not lagging behind. Only last week, I wrote on the exploit being made by the Honourable Minister of Power, Oloye Bayo Adelabu and two other heads of government institutions. Precisely, Mr Olayemi Cardoso, the CBN governor and Mr Jim Osayande Obazee, the head of the team that recently investigated the activities of the CBN under the watch of the embattled Mr Godwin Emiefele, the immediate past governor of the CBN.
In that same last week, Oloye Bayo Adelabu unveiled his short-term agenda for the Ministry of Power. He announced that priorities would be accorded metering, distribution and transmission infrastructure in addition to the earlier promise of increasing the present generation capacity of 4,000MW to 20,000MW within the next three years. These are measurable objectives, and such can only come from a Minister that worth his onions.
Another team member that is making waves is Barrister Nyesom Wike. He has no doubt cut a niche for himself in the political landscape of Nigeria. He was the immediate past governor of Rivers State, the leader of the G-5 governors, who now serves as the first Minister of the FCT from the Southern part of Nigeria, a Christian for that matter, and the undisputable generalissimo of the Rivers State politics. A man that is always alive and dedicated to his duties and responsibilities, though highly controversial a character. He has graduated his uncompromising and no nonsense approach to governance from Rivers State to the FCT.
If actually the saying that morning shows the day is anything to go by, the tenure of Nyesom Wike as the Minister of the FCT will tremendously be impactful as that of the Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, if not better. In his inaugural speech, he vowed to restore the FCT master plan by reclaiming green areas and demolishing illegal structures. That alone is a veritable source of potential conflicts that may put the Minister and the residents at war paths. He is like bent in turning the hornet’s nest which those that have penchants for violating the master plan will definitely resist.
Just of recent, he assured the residents of the FCT in particular, and Nigeria in general that the first year anniversary celebrations of PBAT will be marked with massive commissioning of roads. That’s “Mr Project” for you. More reforms are being initiated from time to time in the FCT so that the people can benefit maximally from the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Ministry of Works and Housing also appeared to have been blessed with a round peg in a round hole in person of Sen. Engr. David Umahi as the Minister. He is one Minister that discovered and shouted very early in the life of this administration that the Civil Servants are so corrupt and capable of constituting themselves into a cog in the wheel of progress of the government if not promptly and appropriately checked.
He had running battles with the contractors for being in the habit of doing shady jobs. He also accused them of always being in connivance with the Civil Servants to shortchange the people. They know what they do to circumvent the system. At the end of the day, road projects do not meet the required standard due to financial undercut effected by the conspirators. An advocate of adequate supervision of road projects, to the Minister, it is not going to be business as usual for the saboteurs.
Another Minister that is always within the radar of the public is that of the Interior Ministry. He actually caught the people’s attention with the alacrity by which he cleared the backlog of International Passports within a short period of time. What a dullard could not achieve in a decade, to the credit of this hardworking and resourceful Minister, he was able to accomplish it within ten weeks of being in the saddle. Therefore, it is right to say that time is a measure of intelligence.
Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the young, dynamic and reform conscious Minister is a Minister to watch in the PBAT cabinet. It has been one day, one innovation in the Ministry since he came on board as the Minister of the Interior. With the backlog of passports already cleared, 100% online processing of passports expected to commence this month and e-gates exit for Nigerians coming home from abroad kick-starting in February according to the Minister, Nigerians are indeed in for sweet experience under the Renewed Hope Agenda of PBAT.
The key to solving delay and underperformance in the various agencies that make up the Ministry is not a rocket science. According to Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, what to do is to employ advanced technological solutions which could significantly reduce delays and streamline the handling of critical challenges.
Finally, one may be tempted to say that it is somehow too early to be assessing the work that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his team are doing for Nigeria, but in management, process evaluation is the key to success. Therefore, the President, his Ministers and other Heads of Agencies, Commissions and Departments must be subjected to constant monitoring in order to build a better Nigeria now.
Nigerians are watching you, the PBAT team!
To be continued.
B. Aderemi Ogundele
(Jagunmolu)
