By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, tasked ministers designate to live up to the expectations of Nigerians by by working in tune with his administration’s policies and ensuring that that the lives of Nigerians especially the ordinary citizens are better off. 

The President enjoined the ministers designate to adopt team work adding that many national issues require unified decisions.

The President gave the charge when he  declared-opened, a two day retreat for ministers-designate and other top government functionaries at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He emphasized that his new cabinet members would have to prove their mettle in delivering on policies and programmes aimed at  lifting many Nigerians out of poverty index.

 At the end of the Retreat, Buhari said, “it is hoped that all of you will be in tune with the roles and responsibilities of positions you will occupy in Government.”

He said that his government succeeded in the last four years in rolling back the frontiers of terrorism; and actively addressing other challenges such as kidnappings, farmer-herder violence, improving the safety on our roads, railways, air traffic and fire control capacities.

The President declared that his government would have to carve a niche for itself economically, by ignoring what he termed as ‘handouts from development partners’ to solve prevailing challenges confronting the country.

He explained that considering the United Nations (UN) projection that Nigeria’s population will increase to 411 million by 2050, to become the third globally, behind only India and China, there was need for urgent measures to check what he described as ‘frightening consequences’.

He said: “we are all aware of the looming demographic potential of our country. By average estimates, our population is close to 200 million today. By 2050, UN estimates put Nigeria third globally behind only India and China with our projected population at 411 million.

“This is a frightening prospect but only if we sit idly by and expect handouts from so-called development partners. The solution to our problems lies within us,” he added.

The President also noted that: “as Ministers, I am counting on you together with Advisers and Nigerians willing and able to contribute to build upon our road map of policies, programmes and projects that will lift the bulk of our people out of poverty and set them on the road to prosperity.”

He said his government cumulatively in eight years, would have laid the grounds for lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

According to him, such outcome will fundamentally shift Nigeria’s trajectory and place it among the World’s Great Nations.

Buhari who reminded the ministers designate that they will be responsible for the development and implementation of policies, programmes and projects in their various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), said that they must ensure that such agencies remain effective, efficient and accountable in the discharge of their responsibilities.

President Buhari said, “It is a great privilege for you to be called upon to serve in these Great Offices of State and you must grasp the chance with two hands and put in your best efforts as Nigeria today needs top managers to handle our numerous challenges. There will be long hours and you must be prepared to live laborious days if we are to serve our people optimally.

“I congratulate all the new comers who your country has chosen above others to join the first term Ministers whose performance has been outstanding. All of you are appointed to assist and advise the President in running the affairs of our country.

“We are steadily turning the economy round through investment in agriculture and manufacturing, shoring up our foreign reserves, curbing inflation and improving the country’s infrastructure.

“On corruption, we have recovered hundreds of billions of stolen assets and are actively pursuing control measures to tackle leakages in public resources. We will not let up in fighting corruption,” Buhari said.

Earlier in his remarks, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha said that the objective of the retreat was to prepare the new cabinet members for the challenges ahead in Buhari’s second tenure, while affording them the opportunity to familiarize themselves with their roles and responsibilities as Cabinet Ministers.

This, the SGF said, would help to shape and streamline efforts towards achieving the delivery of dividends of democracy to the people of Nigeria.

He said that the outcome of the retreat will set a strategic agenda which would define our course of action for the next four years of the Administration, set achievable targets and identify basic strategic options that will assist the new Cabinet realise the goals for which the Administration was elected to achieve.

According to him, the retreat was conceptualized in three thematic phases comprising, a Context Setting segment, led by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and supported by Mckinsey & Co. and KPMG as consultants.

“The second segment is principally designed to be more interactive, setting the values of team work as your appointments demand, which will be demonstrated by your involvement in syndicated breakout sessions focused on topics across defined Government priority areas,” Boss noted.

The retreat is expected to end on Tuesday while the ministers will be assigned portfolios and sworn-in by President Buhari on Wednesday inside the Council Chambers.