Timi Frank: Tinubu’s cost-cutting measures are superficial

Timi Frank, a former deputy spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says the cost-cutting measures of President Bola Tinubu are superficial.

Last week, Tinubu directed ministers and heads of federal government agencies to reduce the number of vehicles in their convoys to three.

In March 2024, the president temporarily banned members of his cabinet from embarking on foreign trips using public funds.

In a statement on Tuesday, Frank said the president’s actions have failed to address the Nigeria’s bloated bureaucracy.

“President Tinubu’s recent cost-cutting measures, including limiting ministers to three official vehicles and reducing their security personnel, is superficial than substantive reforms,” he said.

“Notwithstanding that his plan to merge agencies in line with the Steve Oronsaye report, has been jettisoned, he has equally encouraged the national assembly to approve the establishments 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, approval of 300 per cent increase in salary of judicial officers, building of official quarters for judges being planned by the FCT and the acquisition of a N5 billion presidential yacht.”

The former APC spokesperson said the president, national assembly members, and judicial officers should cut their salaries and allowances by 50 percent to show that the federal government is serious about reducing the cost of governance.