The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s latest order for slashing public officers’ spending is the end to wasteful spending culture nurtured by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) era.
Praising the President for what it called “sweeping cost-saving measures aimed at instilling financial discipline and prudence,” the party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the action was part of fulfilling his campaign promises to Nigerians.
According to the party, the new orders, including the one disallowing ministers and other heads of government agencies from traveling until they must have defended their budgets before the National Assembly, were aimed at instilling discipline and proper ethnics into governance in the country.
The statement said: “This is another fulfilment of the president’s election promise to cut the costs of governance, curb leakages, end impunity and ensure adherence to the rule of law by all departments of government.
“To list a few of the approved measures to instil financial discipline and prudence on government trips, all public funded trips must be strictly for official purposes and must be backed with documented evidence.
“The classes of tickets approved for government officials on official trips have been clearly spelt out. In effect, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants to the President, Chairmen of Extra-Ministerial Departments and Chief Executive Officers of Parastatals are allowed to fly Business Class. Other categories of Public Officers are to travel on Economy Class.
“Government will no longer fund extended stays. Duration of official trips is limited to only the number of days of the event as contained in the supporting documents to qualify for public funding.
“Clearly, the era of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) governments when ministers and other senior government appointees splashed our commonwealth on private jet trips, first-class tickets and limousines to ferry family and cronies around, are over. Our public resources are now being rightly deployed to address our national infrastructure needs, social investments and other initiatives that directly benefits the people.
“The APC administration remains resolute in fulfilling its promises to the people of Nigeria.”
