President Bola Tinubu has issued a significant reduction in travel delegations for official Federal Government trips, both domestic and international.
During a press briefing at the State House in Abuja on Tuesday, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed that a directive has been issued. This directive entails a comprehensive 60% reduction across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), including the offices of the President, Vice President, and First Lady.
Furthermore, for any approved international travel, ministers of the Federation will now be subject to specific limits. Specifically, a minister can be accompanied by four members of their staff, appointees, and similar personnel on an official trip.
“For heads of agency that will be limited to two members of staff allowed to travel on an official trip.”
“The President has now approved for official travel that no more than 20 individuals be allowed to travel with himm” the Special Adviser said.
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, a new limit of 25 members of staff are to accompany him on domestic trips within the country.”
“Similarly, President Tinubu limited the number of those to accompany the First Lady on official trips within the country. to 10 staff members.”
Ngelale revealed on behalf of the President that “The Vice President will be limited to 15 members of staff on official trips within the country, while his wife will be limited to 10 members of staff on officials within the country, the same as the first lady,”
“It is pertinent to note that there is a difference between the number of members of staff allowed to travel with the presiding officials on international trips and those that are allowed for domestic. You will find that the numbers on international trips are less than those allowed on domestic trips. This is because international trips are far more expensive across the board and the President is determined to bring total sanity and prudence to the management of the Commonwealth of our people..”
“As a result of this, the President has directed that every federal MDA also including the office of the president itself and the Office of the Vice President as well as the offices of the first and Second Ladies, are affected and bound by this directive of the president..”
“Henceforth, the President is insistent that the notion of government wastage, the notion of recurrent expenditure being in excess, the notion that government officials will be allowed to conduct their affairs in a way that is different from what we are asking of Nigerian citizens concerning prudence and Cost Management, those days are over..”