Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi
Falana, SAN, has asked President Bola Tinubu and state governors to slash their
travel entourage to 40 percent.
Falana made this call in an interview on Channels
Television’s Politics Today on Thursday.
The senior lawyer, however, commended Tinubu for reducing
his travel entourage to 60 percent.
He said it is commendable that the government is starting to
cut costs, adding that there are other areas where resources could be saved
from wasting away.
Falana said, “It (cutting of entourage) is realistic and if
possible the government can go further to reduce the number from 60 to 40 per
cent or there about having regards to the state of the economy. But there are
areas to address where we are wasting a lot of resources.
“I once traveled and I was in one of the embassies. I was
flabbergasted that Nigeria has been paying rent in an African country for our
embassy since 1962, that should not be so. So, the government will have to
holistically look at the areas of waste,” he added.
He also stated that, just like the president, the governors
must also reduce their travel entourage.
On the need for sacrifice in the face of a poor economy,
Falana said that it is time for the government to tighten its belts after
telling the poor to do the same for years.
He said, “So, the government will have to holistically look
at the areas of waste. Well, that is a good initiative on the part of the
President.
“Our governors should also reduce their entourage locally
and internationally so that we can let the world know and let Nigerians know
that the question of sacrifice will have to start from the top.
“For years, we have
asked the poor to tighten their belts, it is the government now that should
tighten their belts. The budget must be reviewed to reflect the state of the
economy.
“We are starting now to begin to cut down the excesses of
government and I think it’s a good development but we need to do more,” he
added.
Recall that the Presidency on Tuesday announced that
President Tinubu has directed a major slash of travel delegations for all
Federal Government official trips within and outside the country.
According to presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale, the
directive means a 60% slash across the board and affects all MDAs, including
the office of the president, vice president, and first lady.
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