Cost of Governance: Mr President, Reducing Convoys Not Enough

cost of governance

President Bola Tinubu’s announcement of a restriction on official convoys to a maximum of three vehicles for ministers and heads of agencies is not a serious move towards reducing the cost of governance. 

Development Diaries reports that the president’s new directive was contained in a statement by his Special Advisor on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

It is understood that the directive also indicated that no additional vehicles would be assigned to the public officials for movement.

Although this measure is supposedly cost-effective, it ignores the bigger issue of excessive governance expenses.

Many Nigerians are frustrated by these ‘cosmetic’ gestures and are calling for more substantive changes to reduce the burden of government expenditure.

It must also be stated that the continued spending on benefits for public servants, despite Nigeria’s adoption of the Monetisation Policy in 2003, raises several questions.

The policy was intended to cap government spending on perks for officials, aiming to cut down annual outlay and reduce unnecessary expenses.

Yet, the recurrent costs of official vehicles, convoy maintenance, and other benefits seem to disregard these original objectives.

A key point in addressing the cost of governance is leading by example, beginning with the presidency itself.

In January 2024, President Tinubu violated his own directive on cutting down the number of people on his entourage during local and international travels.

As a matter of fact, he violated his directive less than a week after the new laudable policy took effect, as he had more than 50 individuals on his delegation when he travelled to Imo State to attend the inauguration of Governor Hope Uzodinma for a second and final term.

Also, President Tinubu ordered the implementation of the Oronsaye report after setting up a bloated team of ministers and aides.

Such actions do not inspire confidence or trust in the government’s policies.

A personal reduction in the number of vehicles in his fleet would send a powerful message, showing that every level of government is willing to sacrifice to ease Nigeria’s financial burden.

Also, it would help regain some public trust in these efforts.

Ultimately, Nigerians will find credibility in cost-cutting measures only when they see them applied across all levels, particularly starting from the presidency.

Nigerians need to witness the president adopting visible austerity measures, as this would inspire similar actions across various government offices.

Development Diaries calls on President Tinubu to demonstrate a genuine commitment to expenditure reduction by starting with his own convoy and official vehicles.

Until then, cutting the number of ministers convoys might be seen as a mere gesture, as the highest office is expected to take actual cost-cutting steps.

Photo source: Bola Tinubu

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