Nigerians from diverse backgrounds set agenda for the newly formed cabinet of President Tinubu by Taiwo Olapade
Nigerians from diverse backgrounds have been speaking on their expectations from the newly formed cabinet of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Forty five Nigerians that cut across Technocrats, and astute politicians took oath of office and allegiance yesterday after eighty four days in the life of the new administration at an elaborate event held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Just after the swearing-in of the new Ministers, President Tinubu charged them to make transparency and selfless service to fatherland their watchword.
According to the President, the Ministers who must hit the ground running were not selected to serve based on ethnicity, religion or political sentiments but in the overall good of the nation.
While speaking on his expectations, the Founder, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Dr Muda Yusuf said there was need for government to prioritize macroeconomic stability with emphasis on moderating inflationary pressures.
He stressed the need for stabilizing the exchange rate in boosting economic growth of the country.
According to him, government must consider reform in the Tax regime to ensure efficiency in tax administration, reduce tax evasion and eliminate multiple taxation.
The boss of CEPP. charged the President to iInitiate budget reforms to ensure fiscal discipline, curb budget padding, duplication of projects and review the service wide votes to ensure transparency and accountability.
Dr Muda Yusuf wants the administration to prioritize trade facilitation, remove all non-tariff barriers to trade as well as all customs checkpoints within the country to the detriment of investment opportunity in the economy.
For former President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Mr Tunde Amolegbe, the Economic Team needs to deliver on the promised 7% GDP growth rate within two years.
He said there must be aggressive and concerted efforts at infrastructure development that both visible and latent.
According to him, food scarcity is a significant contributor to the high inflation rate confronting the nation, adding efforts should be geared toward s food sufficiency before the end of the President’s first term.
On his part, Human rights lawyer, Tunji Abdullhameed said the Ministers must make the welfare and interest of Nigerians a priority and to carry out their works with transparency, accountability and without fear or favour.
He disclosed that once they have these at the back of their minds and it is seen by Nigerians from the way they carry out their assignments, the hope of Nigerians would be renewed within a year or two.
In his submissions, a civil rights activist, Suraj Olanrewaju said the priority attention for the new Ministers should be coordination of their activities, projects, and interventions for ultimate results and impacts on the citizens.
He said the renewed hope is already suffering setbacks with delayed take off and majority infusion in the new cabinet of old guards; ex-ministers, ex governors, and politicians with less impressive performance in previous offices.
Just like the fuel subsidy was removed with immediate effect, Suraj Olanrewaju noted that government’s programmes and interventions should be swift, impactful, and timely saying not all areas of intervention requires four year gestation period.
