By Martha Agas
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has tasked the staff of the ministry with maintaining a positive mental attitude for enhanced productivity in discharge of their duties.
Alake made the call while declaring open a two-day ministerial stepdown retreat organised for the staff of the ministry and its parastatals on Friday in Abuja.
The theme of the retreat is, “Delivering on the Eight Presidential Priorities.
The retreat is geared towards ensuring that the workers performed their duties diligently in line with the eight presidential priorities of the Tinubu’s administration, particularly in unlocking energy and natural resources for sustainable development.
He said that a positive attitude was critical in productivity, no matter how brilliant a worker may be.
“Above all, however brilliant you are, if your mental attitude is wrong, you cannot make it.
“ It is the character of the heart that determines the essence of a heart. It is not your brilliance, because brilliance can be purchased but you cannot buy character, “ he said.
According to him, the retreat should be a period for the workers to rejuvenate their zeal, and be intentional about contributing to realising the presidential priority areas.
“ This retreat has been designed to be inclusive to ensure that each one of us contribute his and her ideas to the implementation of the priorities.
“ let us rededicate our minds and hearts to our jobs, “ he said.
He added that the retreat was organised to enable the staff to digest the seven-point agenda of the ministry and brainstorm on how to achieve it.
The minister noted that they were also required to come up with strategies and methodologies for translating these objectives into reality.
He said that ministry was doing its best to support staff through some welfare packages, but required them to add value to improve the capacity to deliver on its mandate.
Alake thanked the legislature, particularly the committees on solid mineral in the House of Representatives and the Senate for ensuring the mining sector received the necessary support to facilitate its development.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Sampson Ekong, commended the minister for marketing the sector to foreign investors who were demonstrating commitment to invest in the country.
Represented by his deputy, Mustapha Kabir, he said the senate would provide the necessary support to reposition the sector and improve the country`s Gross Domestic Product.
Also, the chairman of the House Committee on Solid Minerals, Gaza Gbefwi, also stated that the retreat provided a platform to spur all stakeholders to synergise efforts in delivering on the presidential priorities and developing Nigeria`s mineral resources.
Earlier in her remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Mary Ogbe said that the presidential priorities were aimed at addressing key areas that required collective responsibility
