Former Anambra State Governor Mr Peter Obi, said the Federal Government is merely scratching the surface by announcing 60 percent reduction on travel allowances of government officials. Obi, on his verified X-han- dle, argued that what the present economic hardship in the country demands is 60 per cent cut in the entire cost of governance. “The just announced 60 per cent cut in the size of federal official entourages on travels is one positive step towards the reduction of cost of governance and a way of halting wastage.
“But this measure is just scratching the surface as it is limited in scope and can only lead to a very negligible saving. We are yet to be told how much savings this will amount to,” he stated. Obi, who was candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in last year’s presidential election, added: “While this modest step may be somewhat commendable, what is desirable should be both a 60 per cent reduction in federal official overseas trips as well as a 60 per cent reduction in the size of delegations.
“Most importantly, what our current economic reality demands is a 60 per cent reduction in the total cost of governance at the federal level. “This implies that the recently passed federal budget needs to be revised to cut all wasteful and unnecessary items. “This is the level of cost- cutting and savings that can impact meaningfully on the present state of the economy.”
He believes that such level of cut in the cost of government should lead to substantial savings, expressing the hope that such savings should be used to fund the productive sectors of the economy and much-needed social investments, especially in three key areas of education, healthcare, and the migration of millions of Nigerians from poverty. Obi stated that it is not enough to announce arbitrary cuts in the size of federal official entourages, noting: “The nation needs to be in- formed of how much the measure will save and where such savings will be applied.
“Our problem as a nation has gone beyond token populist gestures and announcements. We must be informed of the real details of the measures being implemented on our behalf. “For a government that has made a hobby of indiscriminate borrowing, the only way to salvage the economy is to drastically cut the cost of government by reducing wasteful expenses and spending on inessential luxury items.”
