President Bola Tinubu has issued a directive slashing travel delegations for all Federal Government official trips by 60%, as revealed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, during a press briefing in Abuja.
According to Ngelale, the directive spans across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), including the offices of the President, Vice President, and the First Lady. Tinubu’s approval entails significant cost-cutting measures that will affect both domestic and international trips.
Ngelale specified, “President Tinubu has instructed a considerable reduction in security delegations accompanying him during travels within Nigeria, aiming to curtail excessive expenditures on estacode and duty allowances.”
The President’s international trips will now only allow a maximum of 20 individuals in the entourage, reduced to five for the First Lady and Vice President. Moreover, the limit for domestic trips by the President will be 25 staff members, while the offices of the First Lady and the Wife of the Vice President will now accommodate a maximum of 10 individuals each on local official trips.
In adherence to this directive, ministers are restricted to four accompanying staff members for foreign trips, and heads of agencies are only permitted to travel with two staff members.
Ngelale emphasized, “This directive aims to streamline and economize government spending, ensuring that both ministers and agency heads minimize the number of accompanying staff for official engagements worldwide.”
