Curtailing profligacy: Olurode urges Tinubu to do more, extend measure to others

Curtailing profligacy: Olurode urges Tinubu to do more, extend measure to others

 

A former national commissioner with the independent national electoral commission (INEC), Prof. Lai Olurode, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to do more in the area of combating wasteful spending in government to regain the confidence of the citizens.

Even as he commended the President in a statement for cutting the number of government officials on his local and foreign trips, he said the measure should be extended to other areas as well as state and local governments.

It will be recalled that early in January 2024, Presidential spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, announced cuts in travel delegation of Mr. President, by 60 per cent for foreign and domestic travels. The same was applicable to the vice president, the wife of the President and that of the Vice President and other top government functionaries.

Olurode observed that with these presidential directives, President Tinubu would now travel out of the country with a maximum of 20 people and the first lady with just five. For domestic travels, the maximum is 25 for the President, for the vice president, it is 15 and for their wives, just 10 in each case.

Part of the statement read, “These cuts would bring sanity and decorum into foreign trips by Nigeria’s top officials who have hitherto seen such trips as jamboree and an opportunity to partake in the sharing of the so-called national cake.

“No doubt, Nigerian delegations abroad have always been an embarrassment to the host countries and other more serious delegations from other countries of the world.

“In spite of being a poverty-stricken country, we remain loud, wasteful and uncharitable in our local and international appearances.

“For most Nigerian public officials, foreign trips are nothing more than personal enrichment through the collection of warping amounts as estacode.

“Sometimes, foreign travels are all about shopping as planned meetings are hardly attended.

“Memorandums may be be signed with poor understanding of the contents as important meetings would have been skipped for frivolities. No country can ever develop by merely throwing money at serious challenges of governance.'”

Olurode said President Tinubu had demonstrated a commitment to fight profligacy and sleaze in doing government business.

“By this decision, the presidency has displayed a sense of compassion and empathy for ordinary Nigerians who nurse a sense of frustration that public officials do not reflect austerity in their consumption orientation,” he stated.

Noting that stealing public funds had not abated in spite of hard times, he urged the President not to relent until the cost of doing government business is cut to the minimum.

He also advised, “Whatever is saved from wasteful government spending should be allowed to accumulate for two or so years and be allowed to go into health and educational sectors and such projects be tagged as Recovery From Wasteful Government Spending.

“I urge Mr. President to do more in curtailing wastes in government such that only those who can add value are recruited into governance institutions.”

He called on state governors and chairmen of local governments and their officials to emulate President Tinubu in combating wastes in government.