One hallmark of the President is his ability to sit through long meetings and conferences, listening patiently and taking notes. When we younger people, on the pretext of using the bathroom, escape to the tea room to refresh ourselves and get some respite, the President remains at his duty post, as constant as the Northern Star.

But on Monday, when this special retreat opened, President Buhari was not around. Why? He had set forth at dawn, heading for Niamey, in Republic of Niger, to attend the 57th Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The sub-regional body had a lot on its plate: military coup in Mali, the common currency proposal, COVID-19 challenges, and many others. And as a major player in West Africa, indeed, Africa, Nigeria had to be there.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo provided very worthy representation for the President. He read the opening speech, in which the President took an opportunity to address germane policy reform issues in the country. New tariffs and prices for electricity and petrol. And the point was well made. The economy was being strangulated, asphyxiated by subsidy amounting to trillions of naira. Apart from reeking of humongous corruption, the country can no longer afford it, particularly with the advent of COVID-19 and its devastation on almost every facet of life, especially the economy.

It was all about synergy between arms of government, in a way to deliver the vision of the President for the country. Deep and rich session.

That opening speech was timely, revelatory, and soothing to restive Nigerians, who had yearned to hear directly from their President on the prevailing issues, which touch lives and livelihood.

The retreat was put together by office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha. And what yeoman’s job they did, considering the almost flawless organization and the quality of Faculty put together. A checklist: Mr Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Albert Zeufack, Chief Economist for Africa, World Bank. Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff to the Nigerian President. Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, astute diplomat and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, former Head of the Civil Service, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and a former Minister. Rima Assi, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company, while Joseph Tegbe, Ordu Obibuaku, Dimeji Salaudeen, and Umaru Abu served as technical partners. A star-studded team, if ever there was one.

VP Osinbajo, after the opening speech, gave an overview of the N2.3 trillion Economic Sustainability Plan, which is a direct response of the Federal Government to the ravages of COVID-19. It was an illuminating session on what would happen in 12 months to reflate an economy in stupor, and give hope to businesses and other endeavors. It’s to the future with hope.

Former PM Tony Blair was invited to share experience, and he sure did. His topic was Driving Growth in a Crisis. He gave his audience what we would never forget: Five Ps of Leadership, which are Prioritization, Policy, Personnel, Planning, and Performance Management. It was like going through Business School again, and taking a course in leadership. Nothing like hearing from someone with practical experience.

There are nine priority areas, which the government has identified for itself, aside from the three focal areas it campaigned on in 2015 and 2019. The priority areas are; Stabilize the macroeconomy, Achieve agriculture and food security, Ensure energy sufficiency in power and petroleum products, Improve transportation and other infrastructure, Drive industrialization, Improve health, education and productivity, Enhance social inclusion and reduce poverty, Fight corruption and improve governance, and Improve security for all.

There were nine breakout groups, with each taking one of the priority areas. They brainstormed, identified challenges and prospects, and made recommendations. These they presented at plenary the next day. Very rich, worth the time and the exertion put in.

Shooting from the hips, the President spoke about those we call the Wailing Wailers, who see no good, hear no good, and say no good about the government

Albert Zeufack, Chief Economist at the World Bank for Africa, spoke on Driving Growth in a Crisis, from the economic perspective. When he finished, as Moderator of the retreat, I remember saying he spoke as if he were a Nigerian, and he lived with us in the country. Down to earth.

Our own Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff to the President, took us through the topic; Delivering the Presidential Legacy: A Collective Responsibility. He charged participants to realize that the country looked up to us to assist the President to deliver on his promises. It would be to the good of all.

Ambassador Kingibe. The suave diplomat sent the hall into guffaws while delivering his paper. He let out a throaty cough, and then assured that there was no need to panic. “Anybody who has known me in the past 60 years would know the reason for that cough.”

We laughed heartily. We know the reason for the cough. But do you? Well, let me keep the reason as a little secret.

The former SGF spoke on Managing Relationships Between Ministers and Permanent Secretaries/CEOs of Parastatals to Accelerate Delivery. Home truths from a pro, a man who has seen it all.

Day One ended, with participants loaded to the hilt. Emperor Festus had told Paul the Apostle, as the latter defended himself of sundry allegations: “Too much learning has made you crazy.” Yes, too much learning can addle the mind, so we closed for the day, after eight solid hours.

Only to return at 10 a.m. the next day, and to another eight hours. The President was seated, back from the ECOWAS Summit in Niamey. It was Judgment Day. Performance Review. And each Ministry came under the scrutiny of independent assessors, who delivered the scorecard. More on that report later. It was largely positive.

Dimeji Salaudeen spoke on Visioning the Future. Review of Key Priorities, Targets, and Presidential Legacy in the Next Two Years. His focus was on economy, infrastructure, fighting corruption, and security. You know that these were key campaign issues for the administration.

Rima Assi, Senior Partner with McKinsey & Company spoke on Delivering Government Agenda: The Imperative of Revenue Mobilization and Enhancement. Yes, money answereth all things, says the Good Book. To achieve its goals and visions for the country and the people, government needs to generate more revenue. Rima delved into how.

The Big Panel. That was how I described it, and here’s why. A 90 minutes discussion group was empaneled, and here are the members: Dr Ahmed Lawan, President of the Senate, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker, House of Representatives, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman Governors Forum, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr Mamman Ahmadu, Director General, Bureau of Public Procurement, and Professor Doyin Salami of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. The session was chaired by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, and topic was: Collaboration to Deliver.

It was all about synergy between arms of government, in a way to deliver the vision of the President for the country. Deep and rich session.

SGF Boss Mustapha gave final presentation on Execution and Linkage to Performance Management System-Making it Happen. It dwelled on next steps.

And after that came the denouement. The man we had been waiting for. The President. He had sat through the eight hours, listening and taking notes. Now, it was time to close the retreat.

The President spoke with passion, both from a prepared text, and off the cuff, from the heart. He recalled achievements of government in spite of multiple challenges. Progress made in agriculture, rail, roads, Second Niger Bridge, anti-corruption fight, battles against insecurity, and many others. He told government functionaries to play as a team, as “a convoy is only as strong as its slowest vessel.” Collaboration, coordination, and synergy were very important.

Shooting from the hips, the President spoke about those we call the Wailing Wailers, who see no good, hear no good, and say no good about the government: “I have to charge all of you to defend the government vigorously, and not allow irresponsible and politically motivated activists to keep spreading patent falsehoods about the government. Information to the public should be better packaged. Go on the offensive. We are proud of our achievements and we should blow our own trumpets.”

True. I am proud of the achievements of this government. And that is why I blow the trumpet on this platform week after week. Thank you for joining me.

*Adesina is Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Buhari

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The retreat is at the instance of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.

In a statement by Mba, the retreat is part of efforts at  dissecting the dynamics of crime and forging strong networks toward tackling prevalent and emerging crimes in the country.

The event, tagged “Repositioning the Force for the Challenges of Effective Policing in the 21st Century,” will hold at Jasmine Hall, Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.

The conference and retreat will be declared open by President Muhammadu Buhari and it is expected that in attendance will be local and international policing and security experts, critical stakeholders in internal security management, Deputy-Inspectors General of Police, DIGs; Assistant-Inspectors General of Police, AIGs; Commissioners of Police, CPs; and Heads of other Strategic Formations/Units of the Nigeria Police Force across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

The conference and retreat which is being coordinated by the office of the Force Public Relations Officer and Matchmakers Consult International will be hosted and sponsored by the Lagos State Government with support from other stakeholders.

It is the expectation of the IGP that at the end of the event, strategic managers of the force would have been sufficiently equipped with new policing approaches, guidelines and tools towards effectively addressing prevailing and emerging crimes in the country, Mba said.

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The retreat held at the Eko Hotels and Suites was aimed at fostering inter-personnel teamwork and unity of purpose among administrators that will be implementing key items in the Governor’s development agenda in the ministries, departments and agencies of government.

Rising from the four-day event, the cabinet members came up with a communiqué, which indicated their resolution and expectations as they prepared to fully resume at their respective positions on Monday.

Giving a summary of the communiqué on behalf of the cabinet, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, noted that the participants had intensive sessions with all the facilitators, who, he said, shared practical thoughts on governance and measuring performance.

He said: “We have just concluded a four-day intensive, energy-sapping and intellectually fulfilling retreat. We have been fully equipped and prepared for the task of governance. It is just a springboard for us to take up our programmes.

“Now, Lagosians are going to be seeing a lot of actions from this government, because everything that has been planned will now be put into actions. We have been told all that could bring about bottlenecks implementation stages, programmes and policies. We are fully armed and energised to engage our duties for the realisation of better Lagos that would be the pride of everybody.”

Omotoso said the cabinet members made a commitment to work together and complement one another’s efforts towards achieving the Governor’s vision.

The Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Hon. Samuel Egube observed that each member of the Executive Council had made a commitment to a joint responsibility of tackling the challenges facing the state, stressing that the government would give no excuse to the residents.

“We also discussed the need to drive a performance evaluation mechanism that would enable us to measure our progress in a transparent manner. This, we believe, will make us fulfil all the promises we have made,” Egube said.

The Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, said the retreat set the tone for the implementation of the administration’s plan for a “Greater Lagos”.

He said each session of the programme was facilitated by “highly resourceful” leaders that shared their practical experience about administration and leadership.

He said: “Part of the highlights of the retreat was to devise a mechanism that would create synergy between the Permanent Secretaries and Commissioners in their ministries. We also looked at ways of strengthening the relationship between all arms of government and bring them on common platform for the purpose of taking Lagos to greater heights.”

Some of the speakers that graced the retreat included the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Minister for Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN; Director General of the Budget Office, Mr. Ben Akabueze; former Executive Secretary of Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Mr. Fola Arthur-Worrey; founder of FATE Foundation, Mr. Fola Adeola and former Lagos Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, among others.

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He made the declaration on Friday when he graced the cabinet retreat organised for members of the Lagos State Executive Council and Permanent Secretaries.

Also at the occasion was former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola.

Tinubu, who served from 1999 to 2007, urged Sanwo-Olu and his team to make welfare of the people the cornerstone of the administration’s social development programmes.

This is as he also warned that administering the affairs of a society endowed in ethnic diversity like Lagos required more than talent.

His words:  “Many books on leadership and administration have been written by great thinkers which focused on talent of individuals. But, is leadership about talent alone? I say no. Talent can only give you the opportunity to shine and get recognition among your peers. But it cannot pave the way for success. Talent without character is an effort to nowhere.”

Tinubu charged the cabinet members on teamwork, stressing that the success of the administration in its areas of priority was not negotiable.

He said, although Lagos still confronted some challenges in key sectors, he said the challenges should be converted to opportunity to drive development of the state.

The former governor of Lagos State observed that successive administrations in Lagos had been implementing a development masterplan initiated by his administration, but he said the blueprint was not inflexible.

He urged Sanwo-Olu and his team to tinker with the masterplan in driving more development in the state.

Tinubu advised the team to beam its special focus on three key areas: environment, education and health.

He believed the success of the administration would be dependent on the far-reaching reforms that would turn around the listed areas.

He said leadership required courage and boldness to dare, but urged them to be prudent in the discharge of their duties.

After his speech, Tinubu recommended a leadership book titled: Marginal gains and secret of good performance, to the cabinet members to guide in the administration of the state.

Fashola, who spoke on Personal Perspective on Leadership, saluted the courage of the Commissioners and Special Advisers to accept the roles.

He however said the appointees had signed up for “tough task’’, noting that their actions must prove their appointments were well-deserved.

Fashola said public office was created to solve problems facing the people and not to show off.

He said the Sanwo-Olu administration must design a public communication strategy that would make citizens defend the government before becoming agitated.

The minister also advised the cabinet members on teamwork, which he said would inspire trust, dependability, respect and civility.

He also engaged the Executive Council members on how to smoothen the state government’s relationship with the Federal Government.

The Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, who made a vote of thanks on behalf of the Executive Council, described Tinubu as a blessing to Africa, noting that the APC national leader’s leadership impacts transcended the continent.

Governor Sanwo-Olu who spoke earlier noted that the new cabinet members had a rare opportunity of receiving hands on training from two most experienced and highly qualified administrators in former Governors Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola.

He, however charged the Executive Council members to utilize all that had been learned for the betterment of the average citizen of Lagos.

Other speakers at the Day 3 session included the Director General of the Budget Office, Mr. Ben Akabueze, who took the participants through on the structure of the State’s budget.

The appearance of the two former governors of Lagos was aimed at boosting the morale of the cabinet members and to equally share experiences based on practical knowledge in the art of governance.

The retreat being held at the instance of the Lagos State Government is to enable cabinet members and Permanent Secretaries key into the policy thrust of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration.

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He made the charge as the two-day retreat he hosted came to an end on Tuesday.

The second and final day kicked off with a presentation on Cabinet Processes and Procedures, by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr. Boss Mustapha.

It was followed by a presentation by the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on aligning government policies with the ideology, manifesto and campaign promises of the ruling party.

Subsequent presentations touched on Budgeting, Civil Service Reforms, Public Procurement, the Relationships between Ministers and Permanent Secretaries, and Effective Partnerships between Executive, Legislature and State Governments.

The SGF in his remarks announced the introduction of a new Cabinet Memorandum Review and Approval Process, aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of government decision-making and policy implementation, and increasing coordination and coherence within the government.

President Buhari in his closing remarks, reminded participants that the challenges ahead of the administration remained significant, and urged them to rise to them, work collaboratively and purposefully, and give their best to the task of delivering a more prosperous country for all Nigerians.

The Ministers-designate will be sworn in on Wednesday August 21, at the State House, after which they will be allocated portfolios by the President.

Following the swearing-in, each minister will be given a mandate, based on the assigned ministry, and which will spell out priorities, deliverables and timelines.

In addition, a robust monitoring and evaluation framework, it was stated, would also be put in place to track the implementation of all policies and programmes over the next four years.

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The state, according to him, would be better for it, as the commissioners, advisers, permanent secretaries and other heads of agencies resume work fully this week with renewed vigour and a well-articulated work ethics ready to meet set goals.

The governor stated this on Saturday at the closing session of the retreat in Iloko Ijesa, adding that the appointees had been “fired up” to deliver the goods to Ekiti people as promised during the electioneering period.

Governor Fayemi spoke, just as the over 100 top government functionaries that participated in the retreat signed the code of conduct that was specifically designed as a guide to all the appointees, while the commissioners were given a week to sign and return the performance agreement document.

Fayemi stated that there was no doubt that the appointees “now know their mandate and what the deliverables are”, adding that the vision would be shared with directors and other senior government officials that did not attend the retreat.

He urged them to align the mandate with the budget of their ministries and translate same to concrete deliverables for the people.

Fayemi expressed optimism that with the readiness of the participants, there were exciting times ahead for the State.

“I am excited that all the appointees and the Permanent Secretaries are fired up now. They are very clear about what the mandate is; they are clear about what the deliverables are. They will now escalate this to their Directors and their own officials in order to align the mandate with the budget of their ministries and then communicate this to the various publics that we have to deal with,” he said.

Also speaking, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Hon Biodun Omoleye, said the retreat signals the beginning of “the transformational governance” promised by Fayemi; adding that participants had been given a mandate charter which contained what was expected to be done and the timeline.

Omoleye said there were penalties for any appointee who failed to comply with the mandate charter.

The Head of Service, Mr. Deji Ajayi, equally expressed the readiness of the leadership of the State Public Service to collaborate with the Fayemi-led administration in delivering the dividends of democracy to the people.

Ajayi said he had a meeting with all Permanent Secretaries at the retreat where they all agreed to work out the modalities for achieving set goals.

He added that the service would give all to ensure the success of the Fayemi-led administration.

Highlights of the three–day retreat themed: “Restoring Ekiti Values: From Promise to Reality,” include technical sessions, side meetings and team building sessions as well as a comprehensive review of the first tenure of the Dr. Kayode Fayemi administration and a projection for the 2018- 2022 administration.

Speakers at the retreat include renowned Public Administration Scholar and World Bank Consultant, Prof Ladipo Adamolekun; the first civilian Governor of the State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; a former Sierra Leone Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Richard Konteh; Wife of the Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; renowned Economist, Dr Ayo Teriba; Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi, Dr Otive Igbuzor; Prof Bolaji Aluko, Mr Jaiye Opayemi and Dr Goke Adegoroye , Dr Tayo Aduloju and Mr Muyiwa Ogunmilade.

Meanwhile, a committee headed by the Governor has been constituted to monitor implementation of the outcome of the retreat.

Members of the committee include: Secretary to the State Government, Head of Service,  Director General, Office of Transformation, Strategy and Delivery (OTSD), and Director General  Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Planning will serve as secretary.

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Speaking at the opening session of a three-day retreat for commissioners, political appointees and permanent secretaries, Dr. Fayemi said the government needed a lot of resources for the plethora of responsibilities on its shoulders; adding that all appointees must think outside the box and come up with creative ways to achieve set goals.

No fewer than 110 top government officials including commissioners, advisers, Permanent Secretaries and heads of agencies were in attendance at the retreat holding at the Royal Park Hotel, Iloko Ijesa, Osun State.

The government officials are, among other things, to reflect on the Fayemi administration of 2010- 2014; devise strategies for service delivery, induct new appointees on the pillars of the administration and to review policies of the administration, budget and programmes.

Governor Fayemi said the retreat, with the theme, Restoring Ekiti Values: From Promise to Reality, was designed to get all heads of MDAs to buy into the development agenda of the administration.

He said: “At the end of this retreat, we will not be in any doubt as to what our own mandate is regarding the MDAs we preside over. What we will be in doubt about will be the resources that you will need in order to deliver on the mandate that we have assigned to you. So we will have a resource plan.

“Government is much more constrained than when we were here a couple of years ago in terms of resources and there are even more obligations to attend to not the least the issue of #30,000 minimum wage. That’s why this requires more than just attending meetings, sitting in our offices, but creativity and innovation as to where these resources would come from,” he said.

While telling the 110 participants that his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, would stand a chance to continue to rule the state beyond 2022 if his administration can successfully deliver the goodies of good governance to the people, the governor said a “comprehensive plan of the deliverables” would be handed over to them at the retreat after which they would all sign a performance agreement with him.

The Ekiti State governor said the government would expect a certain  level of competence and integrity from the appointees.

He however charged that anyone of them who felt he was  unable to cope with the level of competence, creativity and integrity was free to resign his or her  appointment.

Fayemi who noted that the task ahead of his administration was surmountable, said his administration had plans which were measurable and targeted at improving the lot of Ekiti people.

The governor explained that the retreat was moved to Iloko because the state-owned resort, Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort, which hosted a similar retreat in 2013 was in a state of disrepair having been abandoned by the previous administration.

In his keynote paper, renowned Public Administration scholar, and World Bank consultant, Prof. Ladipo Adamolekun, said he was not surprised that Fayemi was already repositioning the state because the governor was toeing the path of late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

Prof. Adamolekun said Fayemi had demonstrated that he was well prepared for governance by coming up with an 8-point agenda in 2010 and a 5-pillar of development in 2018.

“Overall, there were significant elements of Awo’s good governance example during Fayemi’s first  administration. Strikingly, this finding was reflected in citizens’ praise for results on the ground (notably roads, education and health services, and care for the elderly) during the 2012 State Peer Review Mechanism (SPRM) assessment,” he said.

While concluding his paper, Adamolekun made four suggestions that could help the government ensure effective movement from promises to reality as regards good governance and quality service delivery.

These, he said, were Annual State Development Performance Reports which should be produced in Yoruba in order to enhance wider circulation among the grassroots, dissemination and implementation of Civil Service Transformation Strategy, insulation of the public service from political participation, and the establishment of an Institute of Governance.

Other speakers at the retreat included a former governor of the state, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; a former Sierra Leone Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Richard Konteh; renowned economist, Dr. Ayo Teriba; Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi, Dr. Otive Igbuzor; Prof. Bolaji Aluko and Mr Jaiye Opayemi.

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