Abuja, Nigeria – October 25, 2024: In a significant move to reduce the cost of governance, President Bola Tinubu has restricted the number of official vehicles for ministers, ministers of state, and heads of federal agencies to a maximum of three. This decision is part of a broader directive aimed at curbing excessive government spending.
The new directive, announced through a statement by the President’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, specifies that no additional vehicles will be assigned to these officials for their movements. This restriction is in line with similar cost-cutting measures taken earlier in the year, when President Tinubu reduced his own foreign trip entourage from 50 to 20 officials and limited local trips to 25. The Vice President’s entourage was also reduced to five officials for foreign trips and 15 for local engagements.
Additionally, the President has ordered that all ministers, ministers of state, and heads of agencies are limited to a maximum of five security personnel. This team will consist of four police officers and one Department of State Services (DSS) officer, with no extra security personnel being assigned.
President Tinubu has further instructed the National Security Adviser to engage with military, paramilitary, and other security agencies to find suitable reductions in vehicle and security personnel deployments across the board.
This directive is expected to take immediate effect, and all affected officials are required to comply promptly. The move aligns with President Tinubu’s ongoing efforts to streamline government operations and reduce unnecessary expenditure.