President Bola Ahmed Tinubu marks one year in office in Nigeria on 29 May. He made his ministers sign performance contracts, warning them to quit if they were not capable of meeting the goals set for them. Tinubu then ordered his policy adviser, Hadiza Bala-Usman, to monitor their performance. With his anniversary barely two weeks away, The Africa Report speaks to Bala-Usman, who is close to submitting the scorecard to the president.
“It is clear that he is a president who is keen to perform and his performance is tied to people who can deliver,” Bala-Usman says. “If any of us are unable to deliver, we will have to excuse the person to enable [Tinubu] to perform and deliver on the promises he made to Nigerians.”
She refuses to say whether the president will be sacking any ministers or reshuffling his cabinet, adding that this is purely Tinubu’s prerogative.
“He is the one that has a contract with Nigerians,” says the policy adviser.
Large cabinet and president’s political priorities
The president has the largest cabinet in the history of Nigeria with about 48 ministers. One of which – Betta Edu, humanitarian affairs minister – has been on suspension since January.
Critics say Tinubu has overly accommodated various political interests, resulting in an excessively large cabinet during the country’s most severe cost-of-living crisis in decades. However, Tinubu defends the size of his cabinet, asserting that he prioritised efficiency and capability in selecting his ministers over cost savings.
It is really about us being tools for getting the work done
A member of the ruling party, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, urged Tinubu “to dissolve the cabinet and come up with knowledgeable people. The cabinet is too cold and the efforts are not evident”.
It remains to be seen whether the president – who is said to be eyeing a second term – could brush political interests aside.
Bala-Usman tells The Africa Report that the president will do what he deems right, adding that the performance of the ministers also reflects on Tinubu.
“It is really about the performance of the government in totality and it is his performance. So, anyone [Tinubu] asks to do something for him and the person isn’t doing it for him, it is on [the president],” she says.
“The assessment is on the totality of the administration and Tinubu is very mindful of achievements. Anyone who stands in the way of his achievement, he will do away with them. It is really not about any of us as appointees. It is really about us being tools for getting the work done,” she says.
How the ministers are assessed
Bala-Usman tells The Africa Report that the assessment report she will submit to the president goes beyond a performance scorecard. It will also reveal the challenges faced by government appointees, and how best these can be addressed, she says.
“It is beyond assessing the ministers to say you have performed or you haven’t performed. It is also about asking the ministries about any gaps. How can the government assist you and what are the challenges within the whole government in totality?”
But if the report assesses that fault lies with a “personal dynamic or an inability to rise to the occasion as a sector leader, then it will be recognised as a challenge attributable to you,” she says.
Nigerians invited to comment on delivery
Bala-Usman has asked Nigerians to join in the process. She launched an upgraded Citizens’ Delivery Tracker app, an online platform that allows Nigerians to assess the performances of ministers by comparing their performances with targets set for each ministry by the president.
The homepage of the app outlines Tinubu’s eight priority areas:
•Reforming the economy
Already, Nigerians have been using the app to commend ministers who have done well and lodged complaints against those found wanting, says Bala-Usman. This evaluation will be included in the final report.
Bala-Usman, whose book, Stepping on Toes: My Odyssey at the Nigerian Ports Authority, caused a storm last year, says she is not afraid of challenging authority as long as it is for the right cause.
Asked if she would be stepping on more toes, she responds: “Well, I wouldn’t say so categorically. It depends whether there are any toes to be stepped on.”
