President Bola Tinubu has implemented a substantial reduction of 60 per cent in the expenses associated with official travels, both domestic and international.
Under the new guidelines, the president’s foreign entourage is limited to a maximum of 20 persons, while the vice president and the first lady are allowed no more than five persons each. Similarly, for local trips, the president’s team is capped at 25 persons, while the vice president and first lady are restricted to 15 and 10 persons, respectively.
Presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale announced these measures during a briefing with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday.
Ngelale clarified that this decision is part of the presidency’s cost-cutting initiatives aimed at streamlining expenditures. He emphasized that this directive extends to the travel budgets of heads of various government agencies, asserting that it is not merely a request but a firm directive to drastically reduce state entourages.
According to Ngelale, “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.”
Further details outlined by Ngelale include restrictions for ministers, who are now limited to four staff members on foreign journeys. Heads of government agencies are restricted to a maximum of two accompanying personnel.
Additionally, Tinubu has abolished the practice of extensive security delegations during visits to states within the country. He directed that, in the event of his visit to any state, the local security apparatus will be solely responsible for his security. This directive also applies to the vice president and other high-ranking government officials.
