Religion will take backseat; character and competence will guide formation of my cabinet – Tinubu

President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has announced how he would form his cabinet, stating that character and competence would determine appointments in his government.

Tinubu said he was seeking a government of national competence as against that of national unity being talked about in some quarters.

He disclosed these in a statement he personally signed on Thursday.

The former Lagos State governor said he and his team had been daily engaged in discussions and meetings refining solutions so that his administration could begin actively working towards the common good the first day he assumes office.

He said: As your incoming president, I accept the task before me. There has been talk of a government of national unity. My aim is higher than that. I seek a government of national competence.

“In selecting my government, I shall not be weighed down by considerations extraneous to ability and performance. The day for political gamesmanship is long gone

“I shall assemble competent men and women and young people from across Nigeria to build a safer, more prosperous, and just Nigeria. There shall be young people. Women shall be prominent. Whether your faith leads you to pray in a church or mosque will not determine your place in government. Character and competence will.

“To secure our nation and to make it prosperous must be our top priorities. We cannot sacrifice these goals to political expediencies. The whims of politics must take a backseat to the imperatives of governance.

“We have bridges and roads to build not just for commerce and travel but to connect people of different faiths, parties, and different outlooks in harmonious dialogue and common purpose.

“We have families to feed not just to eliminate hunger but to nurture enlightenment, civic responsibility, and compassion.

“We have jobs to create not merely to put people to work but to afford all a better standard of living by which families and communities are improved and democracy deepened.

“We have water to replenish not just to quench physical thirst but to ignite a thirst for creative and better solutions to society’s challenges. We have a nation to protect such that we eliminate danger and even the fear of danger. May all of our people be able to live their lives in the light of peace and the glow of broadening prosperity.”

Tinubu said an important step towards restoring economic normalcy had been taken by the Supreme Court’s judgement on the naira redesign policy, noting that the order had restored both the rule of law and economic decency.

“But this is not the end of the story. It is merely the beginning of a more comprehensive solution to our economic challenges.

“Our Renewed Hope Action Plan outlines goals for greater economic growth in our cities and rural communities. We are committed to an economy of double-digit GDP growth, greater food security, and one with a strengthened manufacturing base as well as an active digital economy where young people will have ample space to fulfill their dreams and aspiration,” he added.

He urged Nigerians to embrace and work with his government, reaching out to those who did not support him in the election.

“Those who voted for me, I ask that you continue to believe in our policies and plans for the country. I also ask that you reach out to your brothers and sisters who did not vote as you did. Extend to them the hand of friendship, reconciliation, and togetherness.

“To those of you who did not vote for me, I ask you to believe in Nigeria and in the capacity of your fellow citizens, even those who voted differently than you. The better Nigeria I seek is not just for me and my supporters. It is equally yours.

“I do not ask you to abandon your political preferences. That would be undemocratic. I do beseech you to answer the call of patriotic duty as the loyal opposition.

“Remain loyal to the cause of a greater, more tolerant, and just Nigeria. I too shall keep faith with this objective.

“If we all play our proper roles, we shall begin the task of rebuilding our national home together, day by day, brick by brick notwithstanding our political differences.”