Acting President Yemi Osibanjo has told usually very religious Nigerians that the country will not work only by praying and fasting but mainly by hardwork. The Acting President made the remarks Wednesday at an interactive session with senior civil servants held at the International Conference Center, Abuja.
The session was part of Government’s sensitisation campaign on its recently signed executive orders on ease of doing business in Nigeria.
According to the Acting President, “great economies and great nations, prosperity and abundance of nations and communities are created by men and not spirits. No matter how much you pray or fast our country cannot grow without some of us deciding to do the hardwork that makes Nations work.”
He also enjoined the civil servants to own the 3 executive orders and not just see it as another government policy. “Understand it as personal policy. As in the third executive order, President Buhari has described it as a cornerstone of our economic policy – the Buy and Use Nigeria Policy. The President said at the launch of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan that we must grow what we eat and make what we use,” he said.
Highlighting the critical position of civil servant in driving compliance with the executive orders, the Acting President noted that “every generation of people owes the next generation a debt. That debt is paid by ensuring that we provide for the means for the next generation to survive. Or at least we have a duty to ensure that we do not destroy the means of survival and prosperity of the next generation. But there are some people in every generation who have a special burden, a more important role than others in preparing for present prosperity and future abundance.
“These group of people are called public servants. You and I who are here today. I have served in the public service most of my adult life. As a University teacher, adviser to Federal Minister and Attorney General. I earned a salary so I understand how salary increases can be such good news. But most importantly I learnt of the power of the public service to change the social, economic and political story of a nation.”
Osibanjo also cautioned against civil servants frustrating Government efforts at enhancing the ease of doing business in the country, noting that “every time that a public officer is an obstacle to business in any way he attacks the prosperity of our economy and he attacks our future because it means our children cannot find jobs.”
The Acting President had last Thursday, signed three executive orders toughing on critical business policy issues including the promotion of transparency and efficiency in the business environment designed to facilitate the ease of doing business in the country; timely submission of annual budgetary estimates by all statutory and non-statutory agencies, including companies owned by the Federal Government; and support for local contents in public procurement by the Federal Government.
