In response to President Bola Tinubu’s recent directive to reduce presidential travel expenses and the size of entourages, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has asserted that the measures fall short of addressing the fundamental issues plaguing the nation’s economy.
Tinubu’s spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, announced on Tuesday the President’s decision to cut costs on both foreign and local trips, extending the reduction to the entourages of the Vice President, First Lady, ministers, and other public office holders. The move aims to curb wastage and minimize recurrent expenditure.
Expressing his thoughts on the matter, Peter Obi acknowledged the step as a positive one but insisted it was insufficient for creating substantial savings. In a post on his official handle, Obi emphasized the need for transparency regarding the actual amount of savings these reductions would generate.
While commending the 60% cut in the size of official entourages, Obi challenged President Tinubu to implement a similar 60% reduction in federal official overseas trips. Furthermore, he called for a 60% reduction in the overall cost of governance at the federal level, urging a thorough revision of the recently passed federal budget to eliminate wasteful and unnecessary expenditures.
Obi argued that such drastic cost-cutting measures were essential to impact the nation’s economy significantly. He proposed that the resulting savings be redirected towards funding critical sectors such as education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation.
In his statement, Obi stressed the importance of transparency in informing the public about the tangible benefits and applications of the cost-cutting measures. He emphasized that, given the government’s history of indiscriminate borrowing, reducing the cost of governance was crucial to salvaging the economy, emphasizing the need to prioritize essential expenses over luxury items and wasteful spending.
