President Bola Tinubu has introduced cost-cutting measures, reducing official entourages on both local and international travels by 60%. The announcement was made by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, during a briefing at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday.
Ngelale stated that the directive applies to the President, Vice President, First Lady, Wife of the Vice President, and all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. Tinubu’s decision is aimed at curbing excessive expenses related to security delegations and allowances during official travels.
For international trips, the President has limited the entourage to 20 individuals, with a further reduction to five for the First Lady. The Vice President’s entourage for international trips is also restricted to five members, while the Wife of the Vice President is limited to five individuals.
On domestic trips, Tinubu approved a new limit of 25 staff members to accompany him within the country. The Office of the First Lady and the Wife of the Vice President will now have a maximum of 10 staff members on official trips within Nigeria, and the Vice President’s entourage is limited to 15 members.
The President’s directive extends to ministers, allowing only four persons to accompany them on foreign trips. Similarly, heads of agencies are restricted to two staff members when traveling internationally.
Ngelale emphasized that these measures are part of a broader cost-cutting exercise affecting the entire Federal Government. The move comes after criticism was directed at the Tinubu administration for the large entourage that attended the COP28 Climate Change Summit in Dubai four weeks ago.
