9th January, 2024
By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
In an obvious response to criticisms over the large number of staff that accompanied him on his recent engagements outside of the country, President Bola Tinubu Tuesday reduced the number of officials that will be on his entourage on local and foreign trips by 60 per cent.
The reduction of the number of officials was part of the cost-cutting measures approved by the President, Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity told State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday.
The presidential spokesperson added that similar cost-cutting measures were also approved by the President to be implemented in the Offices of the President, Vice President, First Lady, Wife of the Vice President and all Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Ajuri said as part of the measures, the President has approved that security delegations which usually attract massive bills in the form of estacode and duty allowances will no longer be part of his trip from Abuja to any part of the country or on foreign trips.
The details of the massive cost-cutting exercise approved by Tinubu as announced by Ngelale include: “On international trips, the President has directed that no more than 20 individuals be allowed to travel with him. That number will be cut down to five in the case of the First Lady. Additionally, the number in the entourage on official international trips for the Vice President will be cut to five. The number that will be placed as a limit on the wife of the Vice President is also five.
“In terms of local trips, the President has approved a new limit of 25 members of staff to accompany him on domestic trips. within the country.
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The Presidential spokesperson said the Office of the First Lady and that of the Wife of the Vice President is now limited to 10 staff members on official trips within the country.
The Vice President will be limited to 15 members of staff on official trips within the country.
On the other hand, the ministers are now limited to four persons for foreign trips while heads of agencies can only travel with two persons.
Ngelale added, “By this directive, every minister will be limited to having not more than four members of staff going with them to any event anywhere in the world. In the case of CEOs of agencies, they will be limited to two staff going with them anywhere in the world.”
Details later