By Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has explained reasons for the size of his cabinet, saying mounting too many ministries on one person in the name of saving costs will only lead to non-performance and inefficiency.
Tinubu spoke when he received a delegation of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) led by its President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, at the State House Abuja.
The President, who was telling the visitors of his approach to governance, also tasked the clerics to give Nigerians the right messages, noting that without sermons on understanding, perseverance and hope to their congregations, they will not be helping the nation.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu also said his administration will not relent in addressing corruption and other vices because it is a sacred duty to ensure that the country is set right for the prosperity of all Nigerians.
While emphasising the role of faith leaders in fostering unity and peace in the country, he called on Christian leaders to support the administration’s ongoing fight against corruption by encouraging Nigerians to have a change of mindset on money-related matters.
“We have no other country but Nigeria. If you do not preach the sermon of understanding, tolerance, perseverance, and hope for Nigerians, you are doing damage to the country, and nobody will help us repair it.
“Let us dialogue because public condemnation of a nation is not what makes any citizen a good one. We must admonish Nigerians to have a change of mindset and not to make money our god or master. I believe we will get to the Promised Land, and Nigeria will flourish.
“We are here to listen, and if you observe any inadequacies in my government, let us know. I am here today because of your prayers and the will of God Almighty. What I have challenged myself to do each day is to be fair to all Nigerians.
“I have had a number of criticisms, including the rationale behind the size of my cabinet. If you want efficient, mobile, and resourceful people, we have to give people a load they can carry. If you combine too many ministries because you want to save money, you will have a future of non-performance and no results.
“Nigeria needs to turn the corner to grow, and we must give people challenges they can manage, and that is what we are doing,” the President stated.
Archbishop Okoh urged President Tinubu not to relent in his efforts to provide good governance by ensuring security, inclusivity and peaceful co-existence.
“You have extended a hand of fellowship to us, and we embrace you and your family with the love of Christ and promise to partner with you in nation-building, for the task is quite daunting. You will not stumble, and you will not fall.
“We believe that you have the sagacity to give leadership in battling our challenges and in turning around the fortunes of our nation, Nigeria, within a short time. You have shown that you are a listening leader, and we appreciate this.
“CAN has maintained an active presence at all levels from the national to the grassroots, and we have remained non-partisan. You will always find our association as a ready and willing partner in nation-building,” Okoh said.
Be patient with Tinubu’s administration, CAN appeals to Nigerians
Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has appealed to Nigerians to be more patient with the administration of President Bola Tinubu as he works to solve the myriad of challenges facing the nation.
CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, stated this after his first visit to the State House, Abuja to congratulate President Tinubu and pledge support to the success of the administration.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting with the President, Okoh observed that the President, since assuming office, has shown himself to be sensitive to the situations facing Nigerians and has since been taking steps to find solutions to the challenges.
He noted that Nigerians, including the Christian community, have been noticing the President’s efforts to set the country back on the right path, adding that the current challenges were as a result of many years build, which he said will take some time to sort out.
“Sincerely, what we found out is that the President is sensitive to all these challenges that we have. He’s aware, and we see him making very positive steps, even from the beginning of his administration by the way, he has made appointments so far.
“He has come with a great sense of inclusiveness. And Nigerians have a sense of belonging as Nigerians and in this government and I tell you that his pronouncements so far and his body language have increased the confidence of Nigerians in Nigeria and we believe that, given the chance, he will do a lot more and we are praying that the Lord will strengthen his hand, to be able to do more and turn around the fortunes of this country.
“We know that there are a lot of challenges, but what we tell our people is that this is just the beginning of this administration and Nigeria is big and what we face now started not just today. It started many years back, and it will take a while to turn around these things.
“But the important thing is that there is an intentional step that the President has taken, and is taken to reverse the trend of events, especially in the area of governance, we see it very clearly and we see the effort is making towards securing this nation.
“So we ask the Nigerians who are watching and those people who seem to have lost hope, to not lose hope, but to have patience and persevere, though it is night, we know that a new dawn is just in the horizon,” he said.
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