Lawrence Olaoye 
President Bola Tinubu yesterday chaired his inaugural Federal Executive Council (FEC) where he vowed to make the nation’s economy work for the benefit of the people.
The President, who charged the ministers and other cabinet members to look beyond titles and offices and stay focused on the day-to-day task of their individual and collective contributions to the transformation of the economy for the upliftment of Nigerian households, warned against under-performance.
Tinubu told the ministers that the hopes and aspirations of 200 million Nigerians rested on their daily actions and that he would relentlessly provide the focused leadership required stopping failure in its tracks so that sustainable progress could be achieved.
“We shall evolve a home grown re-engineering of our finances, a reimagined stewardship of our resources, and we will let the economy work for the people of this country. There are so many things we can and will do. Yes, some cynics will say it is impossible. But in your own dictionary of service, everything is possible, and it must be possible,” the President exclaimed.
Emphasising that anyone thinking that appointments were fixed term appointments were mistaken expressing the confidence that the carefully selected cabinet members knew that his government was a new one with a new approach and a new mandate to deliver for Nigeria without any lamentation or excuses.
“We have the talent. We have the level of intellectual capacity required to turn this country around. We will make sure that the country is on the right path to succeed on behalf of more than 200 million Nigerians who rely on us,” the President affirmed.
He noted that the country would rely on the experience, skill, intellect, and networking of those who had been appointed to make headway in the challenging times, and failure would not be explained away under his watch.
Humbled by the mandate God had given to him, the President reminded his cabinet that he is only one man and that their innovative thinking to solve problems will shape his leadership as a President who listens.
“It is in your hands now. I am ready to listen and to cooperate. I am ready even to be corrected. Only God is perfect. You have been asked to fetch water from a dry well. The challenges are great, but we will deliver for Nigerians. I am happy to be the captain of this vehicle.
“It is a great commitment that you have made to the country. Since your inauguration as a minister, you have become a servant for the people, serving all of the people, all of the time,” President Tinubu concluded.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of Economy, Wale Edun, said the Tinubu administration inherited a bad economy but assured that the government would try hard to revamp it for the benefit of the people.
“Per capita has fallen steadily, inflation is at 24 per cent, unemployment is high, you know they are rebasing the way in which it’s calculated. “Either way, it is high and youth unemployment is even unacceptably high, these are the key metrics that we have met.” The Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Anite, said the President had to create 50 million jobs.
