Tinubu reduces travel budget, convoy of govt officials by 60%

Barely two weeks after PoliticsNow reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s convoy caused a stir when he was holidaying in Lagos with hundreds of vehicles, military, mobile police and DSS officials in his convoy, he has slashed by 60 per cent the travel expenditure of government officials.

Recall that during the Christmas holiday, and at a time other countries were reducing the cost of governance, (in Argentina half of presidential vehicles and two private jets were recently sold off to keep the country afloat), Tinubu’s massive convoy provoked an angry reaction from Lagosians who screamed at it “we are dying of hunger!”

On Tuesday, presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, said the government has directed all ministries and agencies of government including the presidency to reduce travel expenditure by 60 per cent.

According to him, the decision was part of cost-cutting measures of the Presidency.

He said that the decision will affect the office of the President, Vice President, First Lady, Ministers and heads of agencies.

He said, “Tinubu has directed that all state entourages be drastically reduced. This is not a request. It is a directive. The office of the president and staff will be affected. VP, appointees are affected.

“By this directive, there will be a slashing of expenditure on official travel by 60 per cent.”

He said consequently the President is limited to 20 number of staff outside the country.

He also said every minister is limited to having just four members of staff on any foreign trip while heads of agencies are limited to just two.

Ngelale said Tinubu has also said that he will no longer travel with huge security delegations to any state in the country.

The presidential spokesman also added that if the president travels to any state, the security in the state will take care of his security and the same applies to the vice president and other top government officials.