President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed ministers and heads of federal government agencies to reduce the number of vehicles in their convoys to three.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy who disclosed this on Thursday said, “No additional vehicles will be assigned to them for movement.”
The move he said is part of the Federal government’s effort to cut the cost of governance in view of the prevailing realities.
“In the directive issued today, President Tinubu also ordered all ministers, ministers of state, and heads of agencies to have at most five security personnel attached to them,” the statement reads.
“The security team will comprise four police officers and one Department of State Services (DSS) officer. No additional security personnel will be assigned.”
Onanuga said the president has also directed the national security adviser to engage with the military and security agencies to “determine a suitable reduction in their vehicle and security personnel deployment”.
In January, Tinubu directed that to reduce government expenditure, entourage on foreign trips should reduce from 50 to 20 officials; and 25 for local trips.
officials.
He similarly reduced the Vice President’s entourage to five officials on foreign trips and 15 for local trips.
Earlier, Intel Region reports that Tinubu wrote the Senate, seeking for the screening and subsequent confirmation of appointments of seven ministerial nominees announced in Abuja on Wednesday.
President Tinubu’s request was contained in a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and read during plenary on Thursday.
According to the letter, the ministerial nominees are Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, Minister of Labour and Employment, and Bianca Odinaka Odumegu-Ojukwu, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs.
Others are Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Development; Idi Muktar Maiha, Minister of Livestock Development; Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, Minister of State, Housing, and Dr Suwaiba Said Ahmad, Minister of State, Education.
President Tinubu, in the letter, sought for expeditious consideration of his request by the Senate.
Accordingly as announced by Akpabio, the Senate immediately referred the presidential request to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.
He said: “Distinguished colleagues, the presidential request is referred to the committee of the whole for consideration very soon.”
Since the request got to the Senate on its last day of sitting in the week, the red chamber may, after getting the required documents on the nominees, commence their screening on Wednesday next week.