1 month ago
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Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has criticized President Bola Tinubu‘s cost-cutting policies, calling them misleading and insincere.
In a statement on Tuesday, Frank condemned the supposed austerity measures intended to curb governance expenses, describing them as empty gestures.
He highlighted that, in January 2024, Tinubu announced a 60 percent reduction in the travel delegations of himself, his wife, the Vice President, and the VP’s spouse for foreign trips.
According to this directive, the President’s entourage would be limited to 20 members, while the Vice President and their spouses would each be limited to five staff.
Frank pointed out that while nations such as Rwanda and Tanzania have made genuine reductions in government spending, Nigeria appears to be taking the opposite approach.
He stated that despite issuing austerity directives, both the President and Vice President have reportedly increased their foreign trips, often accompanied by substantial entourages, which includes the First Lady and various ministers.
Frank further explained that while these cost-cutting initiatives may give the appearance of fiscal responsibility, they don’t address Nigeria’s deeply rooted issues of oversized bureaucracy and high governance costs.
He also criticized the administration’s shelving of the Steve Oronsaye Report on merging agencies, noting that, instead, Tinubu has encouraged the National Assembly to establish zonal development commissions.
Frank stated: “President Tinubu’s recent cost-cutting measures, including limiting ministers to three official vehicles and reducing their security personnel, are more superficial than substantive reforms.
“While these directives may suggest a commitment to fiscal responsibility, they fail to address the underlying issues of Nigeria’s bloated bureaucracy and excessive governance costs.
“Notwithstanding that his plan to merge agencies in line with the Steve Oronsaye Report has been jettisoned, he has also encouraged the National Assembly to approve the establishment of zonal development commissions, out of which he has assented to the North West and South East zonal intervention agencies’ bills.
“Besides, the President keeps creating ministries with multiple agencies—the latest being that of Livestock and Regional Development.
“The President is well aware that restricting ministers’ vehicles and security details does not tackle the systemic corruption that inflates government expenditures.
“Furthermore, his administration continues to prioritize lavish spending over meaningful reforms, like the purchase of a new presidential jet, the approval of a 300 percent increase in the salaries of judicial officers, the building of official quarters for judges being planned by the FCT, and the acquisition of a N5 billion presidential yacht.”
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