Petrol Subsidy Removal Already Yielding Positive Results, Says Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has said that Nigerians were beginning to experience the gains of subsidy removal on petrol, appealing to them to be patient and supportive because a rosy future awaits them despite the present sufferings.

President Tinubu, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, made this known at the Gala/Award Night to mark the 2023 Civil Service Week in Abuja.

According to the President, the first two policies he announced during his inauguration, namely the removal of the fuel subsidy and the new forex regime, were already yielding positive results even as he promised palliatives to cushion the effect of the associated sufferings.

“We have received support and commendation from the global community for our courage in introducing these policy shifts.

“We shall, without delay, cushion the pains experience by our people as a result of these measures, through a number of work-targeted policy interventions aimed at giving adequate relief and succor to the great number of our long-suffering citizens,” he said.

President Tinubu also commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Folasade Yemi-Esan, on the holistic digitalisation moves in the service, saying that the challenges being faced in Nigeria leave no option to continue on the analogue front.

The President while describing digitalisation as a compelling choice, said the civil service is the fulcrum for governance, and that there must be a paradigm shift to make policy-making and governance seamless.

“It is in this regard that I am pleased to note that adopting the digitalisation of web processes in the public service is the gateway to efficient resource utilisation and national development, and it is apt and appropriate for this commemoration.

“The challenges we face today with governance leave no option to continue on the analog front. The task before us as a people and government are daunting, but the process of success is promising if we make the right choices. Digitalisation is a compelling choice, and we must take it.

“The expectations of the civil service this year are full; this is so because the expectations of this administration for the civil service are full. This is so because the civil service is the fulcrum for governance; our vision and mission are predicated on the instrumentation, policies, and programs to spur the National Economic multidimensional front.

“Many tough but needful policy and paradigm shifts will be in place to reposition governance for efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity. To match the expectations of this administration, the civil service must increase its reforms, set under the six pillars of the federal civil service strategy, and implementation plan 2021 to 2025 must be focused and attained,” he said.

Earlier, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Yemi-Esan, enjoined all Ministries, extra-Ministerial Agencies, and Parastatals on the need to ensure that the Rewards and Recognition Scheme (R&RS) in the Civil Service are implemented in a timely, clear, transparent and inclusive manner.

She reiterated that the scheme is a globally recognized and accepted practice, which has been institutionalized in the Federal Civil Service as one of the critical deliverables of Pillar Six of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021-2025 (FCSSIP 25) – Enhancing Value Proposition for Civil Servants.

Highpoints of the event were the announcement of the three top prize winners as follows: the Star Prize of a Brand New 2022 JAC JS4 Luxury Model SUV won by Mrs. Juwon Olayiwola of the Federal Ministry of Education; a 2-Bedroom Semi-Detached Bungalow won by Mr. Nwachukwu of Service Welfare Office, OHCSF; and, the 3rd price, a Plot of Land, allocated to Mrs. Chukweke Stella Oluchi, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).