In November 2023, following the conclusion of the 3-day retreat for ministers, permanent secretaries, presidential aides and other top government officials, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assured Nigerians of setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for his cabinet.
The President also stated that he has directed his Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, to “immediately” reactivate the Presidential Delivery Tracker to empower Nigerians to track the implementation of projects across the country in real time; which will serve as an oversight instrument for Nigerians.
However, three months after the President’s public statement and directive, the public is yet to access the President’s KPIs, and the Presidential Delivery Tracker is not known to be activated for citizens monitoring.
The Center for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CeFTIW) is therefore calling on the President to immediately disclose these indicators to enable the monitoring of the performances of his appointees, and the reactivation of the Presidential Delivery Tracker for citizens’ oversight.
This call is coming on the heels of the deteriorating situation of key sectors and the attendant hardship faced by many Nigerians. For instance, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which measures the rate of changes on the prices of goods and services has been incremental in in the past seven months of the President’s administration. For context, September, October, November and December inflation figures published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) were 26.72%, 27.33%, 28.2% and 28.9% respectively; with food inflation edging higher in these four months at 30.64%, 31.5%, 32.8% and 33.93% respectively.
Also, it’s no longer news that the “floating” of the naira which now allows market forces to determine the exchange rate has resulted in free fall of the currency with the currency failing to compete favorably in the FX market. This has contributed to the escalating prices of commodities in our heavily import dependent economy. Currently, the naira exchange at 1192 to $1 at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) official rate and edging 1500 at the black-market rate; making a charade of the so called floating of the naira.
The economic hardship is exacerbated by the dire security situation, which, if not contained will worsen food security.
It’s on this note that we believe that Nigerians will be interested in knowing what the KPIs are, in order to measure the performances of Mr. President and his appointees. We will be interested to know the “consequence management framework for those who fail to meet their targets,” alluded to by his Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination.
The Center strongly believe that the disclosure of these KPIs and reactivation of the of the Presidential Delivery Tracker will not only enhance transparency but also empower civil society organizations, the media and the general public at large to evaluate the government’s performance objectively.
Signed:
Victor Agi
Public Relations Lead