In a symbolic move blending reform with compassion, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, on Tuesday commissioned a fleet of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses and revived key welfare provisions for staff, describing ministry personnel as “the fuel powering Nigeria’s economic transformation.”
At a special engagement forum at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, Edun declared that internal strength and staff morale are critical to delivering the government’s broader economic reform goals, calling the Finance Ministry “the engine room of national transformation.”
The CNG buses, received under the Presidential Initiative on CNG, serve a dual purpose — easing staff mobility and accelerating Nigeria’s transition to cleaner, cheaper energy alternatives. The initiative also speaks to the government’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and environmental sustainability.
Also present at the event was the Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on CNG, Barrister Ismaeel Ahmed, who said the programme is designed not only to green government transport but to deepen Nigeria’s industrial value chain and reduce energy costs across sectors.
Beyond the transport upgrade, Edun announced the reinstatement of monthly staff welfare packages — a policy reversal that aims to rebuild morale and institutional commitment as the Ministry spearheads key national reforms, including treasury digitalisation and macroeconomic stabilisation.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Lydia Shehu Jafiya, lauded the Minister’s leadership and called for renewed professionalism and discipline from staff in these critical times.
As Nigeria pushes through tough but necessary reforms, Edun’s dual focus on internal cohesion and policy execution is fast emerging as a model for reform-era governance — where people, not just policies, are placed at the centre of economic delivery.