- President Tinubu directed that the official vehicles of ministers, ministers of state and heads of agencies be restricted to three.
- He also ordered that their security personnel be reduced to five
- Reacting, some Nigerians commended him for the idea while some suggested that the FCT minister may not comply
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued a directive restricting ministers, ministers of state, and heads of agencies of the Federal Government to a maximum of three vehicles in their official convoys.
As part of his administration’s move to reduce the cost of governance, Tinubu also ordered that a maximum of five security personnel be attached to the officials.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed this in a statement released on his X account @aonanuga on Thursday, October 24.
He said this was announced in a statement signed by the president on Thursday, October 24.
The statement reads in part: “No additional vehicles will be assigned to them for movement. The cost-cutting measure was announced today in a statement signed by the President.
“In January this year, President Tinubu took significant steps to reduce government expenditure by reducing his entourage on foreign trips from 50 to 20 officials. For local trips, he reduced it to 25 officials.
“He similarly reduced the Vice President’s entourage to five officials on foreign trips and 15 for local trips. In the directive issued today, President Tinubu also ordered all ministers, ministers of state, and heads of agencies to have at most five security personnel attached to them.
“The security team will comprise four police officers and one Department of State Services (DSS) officer. No additional security personnel will be assigned, he ordered.
“President Tinubu instructed the National Security Adviser to engage with the Military, Paramilitary and Security Agencies to determine a suitable reduction in their vehicle and security personnel deployment.
“All affected officials are expected to comply with these new measures immediately, underscoring the urgency and seriousness of these changes,” the statement added.
This is coming a day after President Tinubu reshuffled his cabinet by sacking five ministers, reassigning 10 and appointing seven new ones.
Nigerians react to President Tinubu's vehicle directive
Some Nigerians believe that with these new directives, President Tinubu’s administration is on the right track to achieving a new and improved Nigeria. A few people claimed that some ministers, like the FCT minister, will not comply with the president’s instructions. Other Nigerians were more concerned with who would monitor compliance and make sure offenders get punished.
Here are some of the comments:
@marythesa posted: “Wike minister of Fct will not comply o! This convoy is over 12 cars with 4 power bike riders! His convoy is more than that of his gov sef! He will never comply I’m telling you! He still sees himself as a governor till date!”
@b_pastor1 posted: “Someone that sacked 5 ministers and employed 7 ministers is talking about reduction in cost of governance.”
@Gviev posted: “Good one....But Is it just an order or an EXECUTIVE ORDER? If not then why not gazette it as a standard govt policy for the MDAS so that it becomes an established practice. Secondly, Why up to 3 though? Still much. One is enough . Cost of governance needs to drop drastically.”
@Opeyemtech posted: “Let’s give a resounding round of applause to our dear President Tinubu for this cost cutting measure he just announced. I love President Tinubu, what about you?”
@samadegoke_ posted: “We are getting there gradually. Public trust & confidence must be built through the actions of people in government.”
@Ms_Feliz987 posted: “If you’re observant you will know that ever since this man made his way into that position, all his economic activities has always been Trial and Error. What you don’t have, you can’t give. Man is dull to rule over educated nation like Nigeria!”
@interflex2004 posted: “This new measure will go a long way towards reducing costs of governance. Well done PBAT.”
@the_phenom001 posted: “Akanbi you do well! Nice job 👍. First time in a while that we have a president that’s actively listening, unlike that other guy from daura!”
@pudebiuwa0075 posted: “Best way to cut cost: stop budget inflation, reduce ur mumu ministers, cut the salary of all political office holders, stop the office of the First Lady, stop traveling up and down without focus on our national expenses, show transparency in contract negotiations and awards!”
@JoelOban posted: “I know a minister who will not be affected by this directive, and that person is the Minister of the FCT. His convoy is larger than that of a governor.”
@oladipupos91717 posted: “Commendable! A good leader should lead by example and this is exactly what President Tinubu has just done. Well-done, Jagaban!”
@babalolaol68624 posted: “I advise the president to lead by example by using made in Nigeria vehicles and not encourage any one in his cabinet to patronise imported goods if he his really serious about restructuring . The cost of Governance is too much . His cabinet is over bloated.”
“Bring evidence”: Nigerians react over Tinubu’s claims of economic progress
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu faced significant backlash from Nigerians following his claim that his administration's reforms yielded positive results.
The president made these remarks at the 30th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES) held in Abuja on Monday, October 14. During the event, he called for enhanced collaboration between the government, private sector, and international partners to further promote economic growth and stability in the country.