•The Story Of HADIZA BALA USMAN1
Everybody is still talking about the recent cabinet reshuffle that led to the sacking of about five Ministers from the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government. The speculation had been on for a long while that the President was set to rejig his cabinet and bring in new individuals with fresh ideas about how to go about solving some of the country’s myriad of problems. Two weeks ago, the president did just that. He dropped some ministers and brought in new ones. And one woman who has been said to be largely responsible for bringing to the President’s table the appraisal performance sheet of each minister, detailing how well or badly they fared on their job, their score card as adjudged by the public and the public’s perception of each one of them, is Hadiza Bala Usman.
No doubt about it, Hadiza Bala Usman is one of the brightest minds right now within the President Tinubu administration. She is the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Co-ordination. Her job is to provide the appraisal performance report of all the ministers currently under the Bola Tinubu administration. This very beautiful, intelligent and hardworking lady was the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). She made such huge difference with her transformational policies at the NPA, this is why many who were disappointed at the manner in which she left NPA were extremely happy to see her return to government, securing a new and extremely vital position under the administration of President Bola Tinubu. For Usman, with this new appointment, a new dawn had arrived, marking the end of a challenging period for her.
This appointment came with such a big responsibility because Hadiza has to monitor performances of ministers, review them and recommend to the president the ministers whose performances need to be reviewed and the ones that have met threshold and impressed the Nigerian public. According to City People investigation, the President needed someone he could trust for the job and Hadiza fitted the bill perfectly. Her antecedents and accomplishments speak volumes. This is why the President was confident enough to give her such massive responsibility. Let us share with you a few other reasons why we think President Tinubu trusts Hadiza a great deal enough and believed she had everything it takes to deliver on her new task.
First, there is no denying the advantages that well-known individuals possess over their lesser-known counterparts. Usman, a prominent figure in Nigerian politics, probably easily got the job because of her impeccable pedigree. With her wealth of experience, she was expected to blaze a trail of success in her capacity as the Special Adviser on Policy Coordination.
President Tinubu carefully considered the demanding requirements of the position before appointing Usman. Alongside her, several others were appointed to positions with equal potential. Among them are Hannatu Musawa, appointed as the Special Adviser on Culture and Entertainment Economy, and Abdullahi Gumel, appointed as the Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate).
While numerous names were featured in the appointment dossier for Special Advisers, Usman stood out due to her track record and background. Her tenure at the NPA, as well as the circumstances surrounding her departure, particularly her clashes with former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, highlight her resilience and integrity as a strong woman.
Usman’s impressive portfolio is undoubtedly influenced by her family background. Her grandfather, the late Sarki (Emir) of Kano Abdullahi Bayero (1881–1953), and her father, Yusufu Bala Usman, a prominent scholar who significantly contributed to Nigerian historiography, have undoubtedly played a role in her success thus far.
To say this brilliant lady has impressed President Tinubu with her diligence, work ethics and commitment to her responsibility is like stating the obvious. Despite pressures from very senior members of the Tinubu cabinet to present a positive report of them to the President, Hadiza stood her ground and went about her duties in the most efficient way responsible, undistracted by the pressure and even subtle threats coming from big shots within the presidency who claim to have the ears of the President.
When the recent Cabinet reshuffle was about to take place, many of the ministers had their hearts in their mouths. No one had any idea who was leaving and who was staying. Hadiza kept everything close to her chest. She reported directly to the Mr. President. She has direct access to him and can set up an appointment with the President anytime she has a need to see him. And this has made her job extremely easy for her. She also made the task of cabinet reshuffle very easy for the President as well.
According to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the decisions taken by the President to drop and retain some ministers followed a careful assessment process led by Hadiza Bala Usman, the President’s Social Adviser on Policy.
Onanuga in an interview on AriseTv, explained that the appraisal was not taken lightly and had been part of the President’s plan since the ministers were sworn in last year. He recalled that in August 2023, during the swearing-in ceremony, President Tinubu made it clear that he had the authority to hire and fire ministers, warning that he would not hesitate to remove those who did not meet expectations. The President reinforced this message during a ministerial retreat in October 2023, where he reiterated his intention to consistently review the performance of his cabinet.
Hadiza Bala Usman was assigned the task of overseeing a performance appraisal, which involved gathering public feedback on the ministers’ work. A technology-driven process was employed, allowing Nigerians to score the ministers based on their effectiveness.
“Hadiza brought technology to it, asking Nigerians to score the ministers,” Onanuga said. “The results were based on empirical facts, the public perception of these ministers, and it was the people who actually did the scorecard. The President acted on those results.”
Following the review, several ministers were removed from the cabinet, including Prof. Tahir Mamman (Education), Uju Kennedy Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Mohammed Gwarzo (State for Housing), Jamila Ibrahim (Youth Development), Lola Ade-John (Tourism), and suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, who has since been replaced.
The reshuffle is part of President Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring that his administration delivers on its promises to Nigerians and continues to make progress in key areas of governance.
A large number of Nigerians believe that this remarkable lady has done a good job so far. Nearly everyone agrees that the ministers she recommended to be dropped indeed deserved to be dropped on account of their not so impressive performances. She has gotten thumbs up from both the elites and average Nigerians, though a large chunk still felt many more ministers should’ve been axed. Hadiza is poised to achieve greater exploits in the coming months.
From the very moment she took up the job, Hadiza Bala Usman knew she had her work cut out fior her. And she appeared well prepared to deliver on the responsibilities placed on her shoulders. She stated very clearly that all ministers would sign a performance bond with the President. Usman explained that the bond would detail what is expected of the ministers in 2024.
She said the bond will contain key performance indicators (KPIs) that would be reviewed quarterly. According to Usman: “We are looking to commence an assessment of the respective ministers in January, 2024. We are going to have quarterly assessments of performance which will culminate in an annual score card.
“In addition to that, we are going to have a cabinet retreat in November with Mr. President. At the end, this would culminate in the performance bond that will be signed by each ministry.
“Every minister and the permanent secretary would sign a performance bond with the president which would detail what they are expected to do within the one year 2024 budget cycle. “And that performance bond is what we are going to use to track the performance of that Minister.
“One of the things that we are keen to ensure, and Mr. President has clearly given us that directive is that performance is a very important thing. “He has made a commitment to Nigerians and that commitment is what he is going to ensure is delivered by his respective appointees.”
Without a doubt, she is a perfect fit for her role. She has the clout and confidence to look any minister in the eye and do her job without fear or intimidation. This is one of the reasons she is regarded as the most powerful woman in President Tinubu’s cabinet.
At the time she was appointed, her appointment drew a wide range of applause and acknowledgement from Nigerians across the country. Individuals, groups, all hailed her appointment by Mr. President. One of such groups is the Coalition of Northern Youth Organizations for National Unity and Integration. The group joined others who applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointing the former Managing Director of Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman as his Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination. And if her performance so far is anything to go by, she has certainly impressed everyone who believed in her from the outset.
-WALE LAWAL
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