President Bola Tinubu has said that none of his appointees would be allowed to give excuses for non-performance in their assigned duties and responsibilities.
In a New Year address to the nation on Monday in Lagos, Tinubu said that he had pledged to serve the country and would give his best for the benefit of the Nigerian people.
“It is the reason I put in place a Policy Coordination, Evaluation, Monitoring and Delivery Unit in the Presidency to make sure that governance output improves the living condition of our people.
“We have set the parameters for evaluation. Within the first quarter of this New Year, Ministers and Heads of Agencies with a future in this administration that I lead will continue to show themselves.
“Fellow Nigerians, my major ambition in government as a Senator in the aborted Third Republic, as Governor of Lagos State for eight years and now as the President, is to build a fair and equitable society and close the widening inequality.
“While I believe the rich should enjoy their legitimately-earned wealth, our minimum bargain must be that, any Nigerian that works hard and diligent enough will have a chance to get ahead in life.
“I must add that because God didn’t create us with equal talents and strengths, I cannot guarantee that we will have equal outcomes when we work hard.
“But my government, in this New Year 2024 and beyond, will work to give every Nigerian equal opportunity to strive and to thrive.’’
Tinubu, however, said that individual and collective support and collaboration for the good intentions of government must be exhibited by all Nigerians, adding that building a prosperous Nigeria is not for only a few people.
“Our destinies are connected as members of this household of Nigeria. Our language, creed, ethnicity and religious beliefs, even when they are not same, should never make us work at cross purposes.
“In this New Year, let us resolve that as joint-heirs to the Nigerian commonwealth, we will work for the peace, progress and stability of our country. I extend this call to my political opponents in the last election. Election is over. It’s time for all of us to work together for the sake of our country.
“We must let the light each of us carries – men and women, young and old – shine bright and brighter to illuminate our path to a glorious dawn,’’ the president said.
He called on Nigerians to continue to be grateful to God for His grace and benevolence to Nigeria in 2023, stressing that better days are in the offing the country in 2024.
“Though the past year was a very challenging one, it was eventful in so many ways. For our country, it was a transition year that saw a peaceful, orderly and successful transfer of power from one administration to another, marking yet another remarkable step in our 24 years of unbroken democracy.
“Silently, we have worked to free captives from abductors. While we can’t beat our chest yet that we had solved all the security problems, we are working hard to ensure that we all have peace of mind in our homes, places of work and on the roads.’’
The president gave the assurance that the 2024 budget would cater for the pressing needs of the people through the various critical sectors it has appropriated funds into.
