Some of the ministers that spoke after they resumed at their new duty posts on Wednesday included the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole; the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Bello; Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu; and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh. They spoke in separate interviews with our correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday.
Adewole, who is a professor of Gyneacology and Obstetrics and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, promised to embark on restructuring that would bring positive changes to the nation's health sector.
He said this at the ministry's headquarters in Abuja during his formal resumption along with the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire and Permanent Secretary, Dr. Amina Shamaki.
Adewole, who said he was not unmindful of both the inter and intra-professional challenges in the health sector, stressed the need for all to work together for the development of the health sector.
According him, one person is more important than all the professionals "and that person is the Nigerian citizen, either as a healthy or a sick person."
He said, "There are quite a number of restructuring that we need to do. We will need to look at how to work with the secondary and primary healthcare systems because the tertiary tier is not all that we need to promote and bring good health to the doorsteps of our people; so we need to work with the state and local governments."
Mohammed in his own remarks said he would drive the change agenda of the All Progressives Congress by leveraging on the power of information.
Mohammed made the pledge when he visited the Ministry of Information in Abuja on Wednesday.
Mohammed said the APC was voted into power on the basis of change and as such he would use information sharing as the most important tool to drive home the change agenda.
He said, "I consider myself very honoured and privileged to be called to serve out of the millions of other Nigerians. I believe that information is the most important tool needed by this government to drive its change agenda.
"This government was voted into power on the basis of change. That is why I want to leverage on the power of information to drive the change agenda and Nigerians should expect that change from us."
He added, "I am coming here with an open mind but I want to urge you to see yourselves as change agents. We need to inspire ourselves to ensure that every day, a change is effected. That is why you need to see yourselves as a vital aspect of the value chain for change.
"I am committed to putting back hope on the faces of the Nigerian people because the President has no other agenda apart from Nigeria.
"I think that the civil service is not a place for politics, but it should be concerned with how to make the country a better place. Therefore, I urge you to reunite yourselves and give yourselves the self-esteem you require."
Similarly, Onu said he was committed to transforming the ministry to be the best of all the ministries.
Onu said he was committed to reforming the ministry.
He said, "I will not say much today. I will come back in a few days. But I will like to give you some days so that you can organise yourselves and as you can see, there is so much to read; a lot to read.
''I will be coming after a few days and then we will sit down and plan how we will make this ministry the best among ministries in the country. I thank you so much."
At the Ministry of Communications, the new minister, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, promised to make telecommunications and information technology the next cash cow for the country.
Addressing directors and members of staff on assumption of duty in Abuja, Shittu said it was no longer news that the country's economy was distressed.
He said, "God has helped us in this country with our large population and we use telecommunications and IT in our daily lives.
"That means that telecommunications will serve as the new cash cow for the country and I am going to pursue this and I want all of you in the ministry to join me in evolving policies that will make us have the best that we can in terms of income generation from telecommunication and technology.
"I want to interact with everybody in the ministry and I want assistance by way of ideas and quality suggestions. I have always been a no respecter of the cut and dry type of bureaucracy. I am ready to run an exemplary leadership."
Shittu pledged to run an open and an all-inclusive administration.
Also, the new FCT minister, Bello, resumed duty few hours after he was sworn in along with other members by President Buhari on Wednesday.
The minister, who met briefly with some Directors of the FCT Administration, was received by the new FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, and other senior officials.
PUNCH.
