Tinubu government’s financial burden: significant obstacles
Last week, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a 60% reduction in government officials’ travel expenses.
Ajuri Ngelale, Special Advisor to the Chief on Media and Publicity, informed State House media on the president’s international travel plans. The vice president will travel with a delegation of five people, while the president will travel with twenty.
The first lady will go with ten people, the president with twenty-five, and the vice president with fifteen.
Following the announcement, Tinubu’s first test was his travel to Imo State on Monday, which coincided with Governor Hope Uzodinma’s inauguration for a second term.
The President had before declared his entourage to be well above twenty-five when it came to his local travels, according to reports.
According to some experts, the development was anticipated since lawmakers and public servants would thwart the president’s strategy.
Speaking on the matter, communication strategist Murkthar Suleiman of Abuja stated that one significant obstacle Tinubu will encounter is the vested interest of public personnel who may wish to exaggerate data.
Suleiman further asked the president to eliminate a number of government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, stating that the money saved should be used for the construction of new infrastructure.
In an interview with HIFOX NEWS, he stated: “There are people who have vested interests in this matter, so that is the main interest Tinubu is going to face.
“I have always maintained that successful administration is the result of both sound policies and sound politics; therefore, it will be challenging to achieve anything significant if the policies are sound but the politics are flawed.
Even though he is the Chief Executive, he still has to follow the trends of those around him.
How will he make sure individuals with vested interests realize that cutting the cost of government is a better option than what we are now doing? But we shouldn’t feel sorry for him because it was he who stated he applied for the position.
“The key issue is the vested interest of the civil workers; we are aware that budget padding, not agency upkeep or work performance, accounts for the majority of the high cost of government.
Thus, how can we address something that is merely a block away from corruption?
Reducing the expense of government makes it possible to shift some funds to other locations, which results in increased employment and a high standard of living for citizens.
“We ought to have a practical perspective rather than an emotional one.
“We are referring to the needless costs when we suggest reducing the cost of governance.
For instance, it would cost nearly half a billion dollars to fuel the president’s jet, provide security, and other necessities. You can’t just shift the president and his entourage.
“The president must lower the price of a few MDAs. For example, the president recently appointed some individuals to positions related to the arts and culture sector; some of these nominations are merely repetitious.
Since they are all engaged in the same activity, one starts to question how they came to be all these entertainment agencies. These things belong in the trash since they don’t contribute to anything that is in the best interests of the country and we don’t need them.
“The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs should be abolished; I hope they do so because it is a front for money laundering. All funds assigned to that ministry should be transferred to the president’s office so he can use them for other appropriate purposes.”
Adewale Giwa, Senior Pastor of the Awaiting The Second Coming Of Christ Ministry, has tasked the president with listening to Nigerians’ aspirations and cutting back on the expense of government.
Giwa says Tinubu ought to start slashing the National Assembly’s and state governors’ budgets in order to reduce the expense of government.
“Nobody should counsel a leader to cut back on the expense of governance during this trying period.
Nigeria’s N200 million budget for feeding the animals at Aso Rock in 2024 was absurd.
“In the best interests of Nigerians, I believe the president, who I regard as a listening leader, will act swiftly to lower the cost of governance.
As everyone is aware, the nation is experiencing severe economic difficulties, thus it is not great for the people to see their president allocating N200 million for animal feed.
“The National Assembly should be the first to cut governance costs, followed by the governors.”
“Tinubu put the vehicle before the horse; after taking office, he ought to have opened borders that his predecessor had closed.
“We need to implement price control and get things working. Selling petroleum at N650 per litre is out of the question,” he said to HIFOX NEWS.
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