Bukola Olamona
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Olumuyiwa Adu, has advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reduce the cost of governance by trimming the number of political appointees and ministers.
Adu, who gave this advice in Akure, Ondo state capital, said the President can only make progress in turning around the nation’s economy by cutting down the cost of governance and reducing the number of ministries and government agencies.
He expressed disgust that the cost of governance in Nigeria is exceptionally high and that the benefits only go to a small number of political elite who demonstrate little concern for the welfare of the people.
According to him, a lot of wastage goes into recurrent expenditure in Nigeria, urging President Tinubu to trim down the size of government appointees to save costs.
Adu, who supported the removal of fuel subsidy, noted that the results would favour Nigerians through the provision of public infrastructure.
However, he also noted that the economic crisis rocking the nation following the removal of the fuel subsidy would give Tinubu the opportunity to prioritize the needs of the poor and vulnerable Nigerians for basic socio-economic rights and dividends, rather than the rich.
He said the palliatives would cushion the effect of the subsidy removal, which was earlier introduced but suspended by the President after huge criticisms.
He said the palliatives would not only solve the problems of many Nigerians who are suffering from the astronomical rise in the prices of essential commodities and cost of living but also make life more meaningful and comfortable for them.
“Unless we sit down and think about the allocation of our wealth in this country and the distribution of our resources, we can never get it right. If they like, let them begin to give N50,000 to every family in this country; we can’t get out of the problem.
“We are all aware of what’s obtainable in the public service. Imagine a situation where somebody rises to the highest level of grade in public service and has worked for over 30 years, yet he’s not earning up to N500,000.
“And you elect somebody to a place where he is supposed to formulate policies for the society to be good, you are paying them N20m in a month; we can’t get it right unless we cut the cost of governance.
“So, let us bring ourselves back to basics. That money, bring it to the public to develop our resources, to cause development for our infrastructure or use it to bring about good education into the system,” the legal practitioner pleaded.
He also called on Nigerians to support the administration of President Tinubu, as it will help grow and develop the economic base of the country with renewed hope for the people.
Adu further explained that it was too early for Nigerians to start assessing the government with complaints, adding that he was optimistic that President Tinubu would perform far better than his predecessors in office.
