By Dele Ogbodo
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Tuesday said the present administration of President Bola Tinubu is fired on a performance-driven mantra and one that moves beyond business as usual.
Speaking on the background of his performance as widely acclaimed by observers and the recent offload of 5 Ministers by President Tinubu, the Director of Media and Public Affairs in the Ministry quoted the Minister as reiterating that the performance contract signed by Ministry officials aligned his role directly with President Tinubu’s mandate.
According to him, the President had made it clear: “Your performance will determine your relevance in the system.”
The disclosure came to fore at a two-day performance retreat which culminated in the formal signing of performance contracts between himself (Minister) the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, and Heads of the Ministry’s Agencies, he averred that the Ministry had resolved not to fail the President, nor to disappoint Nigerians, but to execute the President’s agenda with utmost dedication and integrity.
Mr. Ozoya Imohimi, in a statement, said the retreat, has as its theme, “United Front for a Secure Nation and Future,”emphasised the Ministry’s core mandate of ensuring security, safety, and effective service delivery.
The performance contract, he said underpins the ministry’s commitment to measurable, results-driven service aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Imohimi, quoted the Minister as saying that the exercise was not a matter of optics but of ensuring a meaningful impact on Nigeria’s security landscape.
“This initiative is about the effect on Nigerians and on Nigeria as a whole,” the Minister stated. “Our Ministry signed a performance contract with Mr. President last year, and after executing that for a year, it’s time to extend this level of accountability to each agency.
“With quarterly appraisals, every agency now has clear, measurable deliverables. We want to be able to appraise ourselves. We want to be able to set targets for ourselves because we understand that this is not an era to give Nigerians excuses.
“There is an agenda; the Renewed Hope Agenda. And this agenda must be implemented, and Nigerians must see that this agenda is actually working.
“So what we are doing today is to be able to cascade and know that leadership is a pyramid. No matter who you are at the top, you can only be as strong as the base,” the Minister stressed.”
He explained that his appointment was to ensure that the Renewed Hope Agenda has an expression through the Ministry of Interior, adding that every agency head and staff member has a mandate to fulfill.
He concluded by affirming that the Ministry had resolved not to fail the President, nor to disappoint Nigerians, but to execute the President’s agenda with utmost dedication and integrity.
In preparation for this milestone, the Ministry of Interior organised a Performance Management System (PMS) workshop two weeks ago in collaboration with Zimedy Services Limited, adding that the workshop equipped Directors and Agency Heads with essential skills to implement a robust PMS framework, providing the tools to effectively monitor and assess progress against targets.
The Permanent Secretary, Dr. Ajani, in her closing remarks, reinforced the importance of this commitment, noting: “With today’s contract signing, every member of this Ministry has a defined role in delivering our promises to the Nigerian people.
“The work has only just begun, and we are all committed to achieving measurable improvements across every sector we oversee.”
Heads of Agencies under the Ministry also pledged to uphold these standards and actively contribute to the Ministry’s overarching goal of transforming the Ministry’s services for a safer and more secure Nigeria.