Tinubu Says He’s Not Ready To Reduce Cabinet Members, Cut Down Costs Of Governance
Tinubu during his first presidential media chat in a year and 6 months since he assumed office on May 29, 2023, made it clear that he cannot and he is not ready to reduce the number of his cabinet members.
President Bola Tinubu on Monday waved off the idea of cutting down on the costs of governance in the country.
This is amid the rising inflation, hunger, high cost of living, insecurity, and nationwide protests against poverty and demand for #EndBadGovernance under his administration.
Tinubu during his first presidential media chat in a year and 6 months since he assumed office on May 29, 2023, made it clear that he cannot and he is not ready to reduce the number of his cabinet members.
Currently, Tinubu has 52 cabinet members.
Asked whether he is ready to reduce the cost of governance, starting from cutting down the number of cabinet members, Tinubu said, “I’m not prepared to bring down the size of my cabinet.
“One, I saw the need when I put them together. You don’t give somebody an assignment that they cannot fulfill, no. From the job description, these people must be efficient and effective.
“Nigeria is a large country and if you are to entertain over 200 million, just on entertainment, calculate how many stewards you will require. That is just for entertainment, not the cleaners, not the tables.
“Let’s pay attention to efficiency. Efficiency, effectiveness is the hallmark of the philosophy of why I have that cabinet. I’m not ready to shrink a little bit of them. I need them.
“They are all adding value effectively. Show me one and I will agree with you.”
Meanwhile, Tinubu during his campaign at the buildup of the presidential election in 2023, had promised Nigerians that one of the things he would do was to cut down on the cost of governance and channel the proceeds to developmental projects.
However, Nigerians have continued to complain that despite his promises, he has not cut down the cost of governance, which includes reducing the number of his cabinet members.