The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has hailed the decision of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for reducing presidential travel expenses by 60%.
Recall that the President’s spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, had announced on Tuesday that President Tinubu ordered the reduction in the cost and the number of entourages on his foreign and local trips.
Ajuri added that the President also applied the same on the official trips of the Vice President, the First Lady, ministers and other public office holders.
Reacting to the development in a post via his official X handle on Wednesday, Obi stated that the reduction is one positive step towards the reduction of the cost of governance and a way of halting wastage.
The LP presidential candidate further asked President Tinubu to do a 60% reduction in federal official overseas trips as well as a 60% reduction in the size of delegations.
He wrote: “The just announced 60% cut in the size of federal official entourages on travels is one positive step towards the reduction of cost of governance and a way of halting wastage. But this measure is just scratching the surface as it is limited in scope and can only lead to a very negligible saving. We are yet to be told how much savings this will amount to.
“While this modest step may be somewhat commendable, what is desirable should be both a 60% reduction in federal official overseas trips as well as a 60% reduction in the size of delegations. Most importantly, what our current economic reality demands is a 60% reduction in the total cost of governance at the Federal level.
“This implies that the recently passed federal budget needs to be revised to cut all wasteful and unnecessary items. This is the level of cost-cutting and savings that can meaningfully impact the present state of the economy. This level of cut in the cost of government should lead to substantial savings.
“Such savings should be used to fund the productive sectors of the economy and the much-needed social investments, especially in three key areas: education, healthcare, and the
The 60% Cut in federal official Entourages
The just announced 60% cut in the size of federal official entourages on travels is one positive step towards the reduction of cost of governance and a way of halting wastage. But this measure is just scratching the surface as
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) January 10, 2024
migration of millions of Nigerians from poverty.
