By Chesa Chesa
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has urged chief executives of federal government agencies and parastatals to see themselves as active contributors to President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a $1 trillion Nigerian economy.
Yilwatda made the call in Abuja while receiving members of the Forum of Chief Executives of Federal Parastatals at the APC National Secretariat.
The APC chairman said the CEOs, many of whom were political appointees, had a dual responsibility of deploying their professional expertise to national development while supporting the administration that appointed them.
He said their appointments should be regarded as a privilege that must be justified through effective service, performance and commitment to the government’s mandate.
“Most of you are political appointees who earned the confidence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because of your competence, experience and commitment,” he said.
“Your appointments are not accidental. They are both professional and political responsibilities. When you accepted these positions, you accepted the duty not only to serve the nation but also to contribute to the success of the administration that entrusted you with those responsibilities.”
Yilwatda said the success and continuity of the administration’s programmes required the active participation of those entrusted with implementing them.
He urged the agency heads to identify how their respective mandates, programmes and budgets could contribute to economic growth, productivity, job creation, investment and national development.
According to him, the $1 trillion economy target should not be regarded as the responsibility of a single ministry or agency, but as a collective national project involving government institutions, the private sector, political stakeholders and citizens.
He also stressed the need for government agencies to communicate their achievements more effectively, noting that significant interventions were taking place across the country but were often not adequately understood by Nigerians.
“Achievements do not speak for themselves. They must be communicated clearly, consistently and credibly,” he said.
The APC chairman said the CEOs were particularly positioned to bridge the information gap because their agencies implement programmes and projects that directly affect citizens.
He urged them to use their networks and grassroots connections to explain government policies, reforms and interventions to Nigerians.
Yilwatda also highlighted infrastructure investments being undertaken by the Tinubu administration, including deep seaports, transportation networks, rail expansion, energy infrastructure, logistics corridors and the coastal highway project.
He said the projects were designed to improve connectivity, reduce the cost of moving goods and services, attract investment and strengthen Nigeria’s position as a major trade and economic hub in West and Central Africa.
He similarly linked reforms in the energy sector to the administration’s broader objective of increasing power generation, expanding access to electricity and creating an environment for industrial growth and private-sector investment.
“These initiatives are not isolated projects. They are components of a broader strategy aimed at creating jobs, attracting investment, increasing productivity and strengthening Nigeria’s economic competitiveness,” he said.
