Buhari Bars Incoming Ministers From Using Long Convoys, Appointing Excess Aides

President Muhammadu Buhari has told the
36 Ministers-Designate that they cannot
have long convoy of vehicles and retinue of
political aides.
The President gave the directive to the
appointees at the two-day retreat organized
for them at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
One of the appointees, Dr. Chris Ngige, a
former Governor of Anambra State, who
briefed state house correspondents after
the retreat Friday, said the directive
followed the dwindling finances of the
nation.
“We are going to block areas of leakages,
retinue of aides, protocol staff, large
convoys of cars are things that will not fly
in this administration.”
“So, we need to actually restructure the
political and social moment of the country
and that is what we are going to do. That
means poverty will reduce,” Ngige said.
President Buhari is yet to assign portfolios
to the appointees.

Group advises Buhari against making Fashola a minister

A civil society group, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari against considering making the immediate past governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola a minister, Punch reports. The Executive Chairman of the group, Debo Adeniran, said following the number of controversies that trailed the administration of Fashola as governor of Lagos State, he deserves no ministerial appointment. He noted that when the Socio-Economic Right Accountability Project invoked the Freedom of Information Act to know how the Fashola government spent a $200m World Bank education funds, the state government refused to disclose it. He said instead, the state government continued to run its affairs in secrecy by claiming that the FOI Act did not apply to state governments. Adeniran said independent investigations by his organisation showed that the 1.36km Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge which was reportedly built for N25bn, cost only N6bn. He said he had written a series of petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to probe the various projects of the Fashola government in the face of the over N500bn debt left behind by the government.