President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that in spite of the prevailing situation in the country, his administration is ready to take the bull by the horn and will not run away from its responsibilities.
In a cabinet reshuffle in October, President Tinubu had sacked six ministers and appointed seven new ones.
The President also approved the reassignment of 10 ministers to new portfolios.
Speaking shortly after the swearing in ceremony of the seven new ministers at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, the President also vowed to clamp down and stop “profiteers and smugglers of our resources across the country.”
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The President who congratulated the new Ministers for joining the team to rescue Nigeria, charged them not to worry about criticism and abuse, saying, “Your thanks Will come with the history of growth and prosperity for this country.”
Tinubu noted that in spite of the prevailing situation, the country already has its head above the water, saying, “For us, it was a challenge when the nation was servicing its debt with 97 percent of its revenue, it’s nothing but end of the cliff, But today, I can report to you that we brought that one down and it is at to 65% and we have never defaulted in paying or meeting all obligations both foreign and domestic.
“We have our head above the water; all other countries too around us and across the world are facing challenges. In fact, there’s a lot of crime in Europe and America. What pandemic has brought to the economics of the world but we are navigating through this and we are working hard.
“You will be part of criticism and abuse. Don’t worry stay focused, stay resilient. Your thanks Will come with the history of growth and prosperity for this country.
“It is my joy and honour to be part of you, to be responsible for over 200 million people in this county . We have taken the bull by the horn. We have stopped the scavengers. We are going to stop completely the profiteers and smugglers of our resources across the country. We are not going to run away from our responsibility, we are going to face it and we have been facing it head on. This ship will not sink,” he said.
The President also appreciated the ministers for agreeing to serve, especially at this challenging time, saying “you are called upon to join the team to rescue this country.
“Since 17 months, I thank many of the ministers that are present here today for their hard work that they have embarked upon tirelessly to put Nigeria on the recovery path.
“Economic recovery is on the horizon. We have a good path to realise our dreams and it is not just only for us, it is for our children and grandchildren. Despite the challenges, to face the job of re-engineering and retooling the economic path of this country.”
The sworn in Ministers were, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda – Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi – Minister of Labour & Employment; Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu – Minister of State Foreign Affairs.
Others are Dr Jumoke Oduwole – Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment (Trade and Investment), Idi Mukhtar Maiha – Minister of Livestock Development; Yusuf Abdullahi Ata – Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development and Dr Suwaiba Said Ahmad – Minister of State Education.