Barely, 24 hours after unveiling his proposed new cabinet, President Bola Tinubu has announced cost-cutting measures for federal ministers, ministers of state, and agency heads.

The restriction limits the officials to three vehicles in their official convoys. According to the directive aimed at reducing the cost of governance, Tinubu stressed that no additional vehicles would be assigned to them for movement.

The measure was announced in a statement signed by the President yesterday. In January this year, the President took steps to reduce government expenditure by reducing his entourage on foreign trips from 50 to 20 officials. For local trips, he reduced it to 25 officials.

Similarly, he reduced the Vice President’s entourage to five officials on foreign trips and 15 for local trips. In yesterday’s directive, Tinubu also ordered the concerned officials to have at most five security personnel attached to them. The security team will comprise four police officers and one Department of State Services (DSS) officer. The President emphasised that no additional security personnel would be assigned.

He instructed the National Security Adviser to engage with the military, paramilitary and security agencies to determine a suitable reduction in their vehicle and security personnel deployment.

All affected officials are expected to comply with the new measures immediately, underscoring the urgency and seriousness of the changes. Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga had earlier disclosed, “The President will soon announce measures to reduce government expenditure, starting with the ministers. I don’t want to pre-empt the details, but the cuts will be significant to demonstrate the government’s seriousness in reducing the cost of governance.”

He added, “The government is aware of what’s required to address the country’s challenges. It’s not about the size of the government, but about having many competent hands to drive its agenda. You will hear announcements soon about how the government plans to cut the cost of running its affairs.”

On Wednesday, Tinubu approved the reassignment of 10 ministers to new portfolios, relieved five of their duties, and nominated seven new individuals for Senate confirmation.

The President also renamed the Ministry of Niger Delta Development as the Ministry of Regional Development, scrapped the Ministry of Sports Development, and merged the Ministries of Tourism and Arts and Culture, forming the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy.

The ministers dismissed are Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs; Lola Ade-John, Minister of Tourism; Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education; Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Minister of Youth Development; and Abdullahi Gwarzo, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development.

Onanuga explained, “It wasn’t done arbitrarily. Hadiza Bala Usman (Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination) brought in technology, asking Nigerians to rate the ministers. So, removing these ministers was based on empirical facts shaped by the public’s perception. The scorecards were filled out by the people, and the President acted on those results.

“It wasn’t just about meeting the President’s expectations but also that of the public. A few weeks ago, during a cabinet meeting, the President urged the ministers to inform Nigerians of their accomplishments, because, according to him, there was a public perception that the government wasn’t performing. The government believed it was, but the ministers weren’t effectively communicating their work.”

The aide also clarified why Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle was unaffected by the cabinet reshuffle. Recall that Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, had been accused of ties with bandits.

According to Onanuga, the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) investigated Matawalle on the allegations and found them to be “mere fabrications”.

Onanuga, who made the clarifications during a TV interview, said, “As far as I know, most of those things are just mere allegations. In one of them, I got something like that, sent it to the NSA, and asked, ‘Have you heard about this?’ The NSA said: ‘No. We have probed many of those things; they are not true.’

“People are just bringing out all kinds of fake things and allegations. That is why the man (Matawalle) is still in the cabinet. The President, I’m sure, has heard many stories about him. For him to be there shows that, as I have said, some of those things have been probed. They are not true.”

THIS came as the Senate readies to begin screening the seven ministerial nominees submitted by President Tinubu on Tuesday next week. This followed Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s reading of the President’s letter at the Red Chamber during yesterday’s plenary session.

The nominees awaiting consideration and approval are Dr Nentawe Yilwatda (Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction), Muhammadu Dingyadi (Labour and Employment), Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu (State, Foreign Affairs), and Dr Jumoke Oduwole (Industry, Trade and Investment). Others are Idi Mukhtar Maiha (Livestock Development), Yusuf Ata (State, Housing and Urban Development), and Dr Suwaiba Ahmad (State, Education).

Tinubu, in his letter, had appealed to the Senate to expedite consideration of his request. Akpabio emphasised the need for urgency, declaring, “Distinguished colleagues, the presidential request is referred to the Committee of the Whole for consideration very soon.”

A Senator, speaking on condition of anonymity after the plenary, said the upper chamber would begin screening the nominees from Tuesday next week. He added, “Since the request reached the Senate on the last sitting day of the week, the chamber may, after receiving the required documents on the nominees, start the screening on Tuesday and possibly conclude by Wednesday next week.”

Also, in a heated session yesterday, the Senate debated the contentious issue of funding for newly established Zonal Development Commissions, leading to a split among members over a proposed 15 per cent allocation from the statutory revenues of member states to finance the commissions.

The disagreement arose during the clause-by-clause consideration of the South-South Development Commission Establishment Bill 2024, which serves as a structural template for similar commissions. The Senate Committee on Special Duties had recommended that 15 per cent of the statutory allocations of member states within a commission be used to fund the commission.

Senators Yahaya Abdullahi (PDP, Kebbi North), Wasiu Eshinlokun (APC, Lagos East), and Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West) raised concerns about the recommendation. Senator Abdullahi warned that the provision could lead to legal action against the federal government by state governments, as they might oppose any interference with their statutory allocations.

To clarify the provision, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin explained that the 15% allocation would not involve deductions from states’ statutory allocations. Instead, the federal government would calculate 15 per cent of each state’s allocation and fund the commissions through the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

Despite Barau’s clarification, many senators remained unconvinced. However, Senate President Godswill Akpabio intervened, affirming that the provision was constitutionally supported by Section 162 (subsection 4) of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the National Assembly to appropriate funds from either the Consolidated Revenue Fund or the Federation Account.

Akpabio then called for a voice vote, and the provision was adopted. Following the passage of the consolidated bills, Akpabio thanked the senators for their dedication to the final consideration and amendment of the Zonal Development Commission bills. He noted that the commissions would form the foundation for the newly created Ministry of Regional Development.

The bills passed include the South-South Development Commission Establishment Bill 2024, North West Development Commission Act (Amendment) Bill 2024, and South East Development Commission Act (Amendment) Bill 2024.

Additionally, the South West Development Commission Establishment Bill 2024 and North Central Development Commission Establishment Bill 2024 had been passed earlier.

MEANWHILE, reacting to the cabinet reshuffle, a women’s advocacy group strongly approved President Tinubu’s decision to dismiss the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju-Ken Ohanenye. The Group of Concerned Women, in a statement released yesterday, criticised Ohanenye’s tenure, alleging a lack of compassion, decorum, and respect towards women.

Dr Victoria Omua Amu, the group’s national coordinator, stated that Ohanenye failed to meet the fundamental expectations of her role. “The office of the Women’s Affairs Minister is pivotal, tasked with the protection and empowerment of women,” Dr Amu explained. Sadly, Uju-Ken Ohanenye’s tenure fell far short of these expectations.”

The group condemned Ohanenye’s “abrasive approach” and “inability to empathise” with Nigerian women’s needs. They cited instances of alleged disrespect towards women in political circles, including Dr Amu herself, a governorship candidate at the time.

“She demonstrated little regard for those aspiring to political office, treating them with disdain rather than as peers or colleagues,” Amu stated. “In her position, she should have been a beacon of support for women striving for greater political representation.”

The statement further criticised Ohanenye’s alleged lack of empathy for women facing gender-based violence, economic hardship, and social marginalisation. “Her detached and callous attitude toward women’s issues made her appear indifferent to their suffering,” the group said.