President Bola Tinubu has implemented new cost-cutting measures, restricting Federal Government Ministers, Ministers of State, and Heads of Agencies to a maximum of three vehicles in their official convoys.
This directive was issued on October 24 through a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
As part of these efforts, no additional vehicles will be assigned to these officials for their movements. The president emphasized the importance of reducing government expenditure while ensuring efficient operations.
This move follows Tinubu’s earlier decision in January 2024 to cut down on his own entourage for official trips.
For foreign visits, he reduced his delegation from 50 to 20 officials, while for domestic trips, he capped it at 25 officials. Similarly, the Vice President’s entourage was cut to five for international travels and 15 for local trips.
In the latest directive, President Tinubu also ordered that ministers and heads of agencies have no more than five security personnel assigned to them. The team will include four police officers and one Department of State Services (DSS) officer.
“No additional security personnel will be assigned,” the statement reads, reinforcing the president’s commitment to minimizing excesses in government spending.
Tinubu also instructed the National Security Adviser to consult with the military, paramilitary, and other security agencies to determine an appropriate reduction in vehicle and security personnel deployment across various departments.
All affected officials are expected to comply with the new guidelines immediately, underscoring the urgency of the cost-cutting measures.