President Bola Tinubu has slashed the expenditure on all official travel, domestic and international trips
by 60 per cent.
For foreign trips the president will be accompanied by – 20 persons, while the Vice President will have
just five persons and the First Lady will also have five persons, respectively.
For local trips, the president will be accompanied by 25 persons, the Vice President 15 persons while the
First lady will have 10 persons.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, who briefed State House
Correspondents of the latest development, revealed that President Tinubu has, by his most recent
directive, approved a massive cost-cutting exercise that will touch across the entire federal government
of Nigeria and the offices of the president himself, the Vice President and the office of the First Lady.
According to the presidential media aide, official trips within the country, involving the President or the
Vice President, will experience significant cost reductions. This is a result of the president’s directive to
slash the substantial bills associated with allowances and estacode for security details traveling from
Abuja to those states.
He said the security outfits within states, whether it be police DSS, or branches of the military, will
frontline his protective detail when he travels to those states, a major cost-cutting initiative that will
affect the Office of the Vice President as well as the office of the First Lady.
Ngelale also added that when any international travel is being approved, the following limits have been
placed on all ministers of the Federation. Four members of their staff, appointees and the like will be
allowed to travel with a minister on official trip.
He explained that in terms of local trips, the President has approved a new limit of 25 members of staff
to accompany him on domestic trips within the country.
He confirmed that the Office of the First Lady is now limited to 10 staff members to accompany her on
official trips within the country. The Vice President will be limited to 15 members of staff on official trips
within the country, while his wife will be limited to 10 members of staff on officials within the country,
the same as the first lady.
