From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, prescribed hard work rather than fasting and praying as the surest and quickest means for the nation to navigate its way of its present economic dire strait.
According to him, Nigeria’s economy would not grow by merely engaging in fasting and praying all the time.
“No matter how long we pray and fast, our nation won’t grow until some of us decide to do the hard work that will make our nation work,” Osinbajo, a pastor, said during his interaction with over 2,000 civil and public servants, on transparency and efficiency on Ease of Doing Business, in Abuja, yesterday.
Osinbajo acknowledged that Nigeria has some of the best civil servants in the world in terms of knowledge, but regretted that implementation of programmes and policies were still a challenge.
“Our civil service is not just the largest in Africa but the best educated and we must prove that we are not just bigger but better. The public service has power to change the social, economic and development story of a nation. Every generation owes the next generation a debt and it is true when they say the future is in our hands,” he declared.
The Acting President charged the civil servants to be up and doing in the daily discharge of their duties, saying “every time we say come back next week for something we could do today, we postpone the prosperity of that person and the nation.”
He also told Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), to brace up for reforms that would clearly state the functions of the different MDAs in order to avoid duplication and enhance effectiveness in its ease of doing business efforts.
Osinbajo had last week Thursday signed Executive Orders on the ease of doing business to improve the business environment in the country.
Many of those who spoke at the forum harped on the need to put to rest the issue of duplication of duties and confusion in the handling by different MDAs.
The Acting President Osinbajo noted the call for improved remuneration for civil and public servants to encourage motivation, assuring them that they were in good hands as the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration know what it means not to earn enough and be owed salaries.
Reiterating that they were drivers of the Orders, Osinbajo noted that everything that happens negatively in the process of doing business instigated by agencies directly or indirectly affects creation of jobs.
“Every time we postpone processes of businesses we delay the prosperity of many. If you help others move forward you will find help. Don’t see this as a government policy but see it as a personal policy,” he said.