Falana Urges Tinubu, Governors To Cut Other Areas Of Waste

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, (SAN) has commended President Bola Tinubu for reducing his travel entourage by 60 per cent but said he can do more.

Falana, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today yesterday, said it is commendable that the government is starting to cut costs, but noted that there are other areas where resources could be saved from wasting away.

“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 thereabouts, having regards to the state of the economy. But there are areas to address where we are wasting a lot of resources.

“I once travelled and I was in one of the embassies. I was flabbergasted that Nigeria has been paying rents 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,” Falana said.

The Senior Advocate told Channels TV last night that just like the president, the governors must also reduce their travel entourage both locally and internationally.

Emphasizing the need for sacrifice in the face of a poor economy, Falana said that it is time for the government to tighten their belts after telling the poor to do the same for years.

The Presidency had on Tuesday announced a major slash of travel delegations for all federal government official trips within and outside the country.

According to the presidential spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, the directive means a 60 percent slash across board and affects all MDAs, including the office of the president, vice president, and first lady.