AT the Federal Executive Council meeting of Wednesday, August 22, 2012, the ministers were made to queue up and sign what was termed “performance contracts” with President Goodluck Jonathan.

The President assured the ministers that this was neither a precursor for a cabinet shake-up nor witch-hunt but a fulfillment of his inaugural speech in which he expressed his determination to run an accountable and result-oriented government.

Since the ministers were the ones who drew up their own targets and strategies for achieving them, the contracts if properly monitored and assessed every six months as planned will accelerate implementation of government programmes perhaps more than ever before.

What it means is that by February 2013, just about a year before another heightened season of electoral politicking the federal cabinet will be in a position to know how effective those appointed to help the President govern are.

This is a step in the right direction. Target setting and strategies for attainment are some of the ways by which the private sector is able to leapfrog to great achievements and profitability. It is a viable means of assessing performance and capability of officials.

We recommend it as the fundamental consideration for keeping government officials on the job or sending them home; the second consideration being ability to perform transparently and above corruption.

Officials who are able to meet their targets and the expectations of Nigerians should be kept on the job for as long as they continue to perform.

It will save this country from the dysfunction occasioned by high rate of turnover of ministers, often based on political considerations alone.

In some countries, highly efficient officials serve on their duty posts for years after which they are promoted to serve on even higher and more challenging posts. Ministers will now know that they hold their own fates in their hands and there will be healthy competition across board.

However, we are displeased by the President’s insinuation that the media are “politicised” and can no longer be depended upon to assess fairly. We call on the Presidency to make available to the media and the public the parameters designed for this assessment of ministers.

The media and the public must actively participate. Leaving it to politicians in the presidential cabinet alone will not be in the nation’s interest because the cabinet itself is even more politicised than the media. Politicians are fond of awarding themselves pass marks, boasting they have done “creditably well” without concrete proof.

The Nigerian public is the ultimate examiner and assessor of the President and his team. After all, they are the ones to affirm their verdict with their votes when the time comes.