Tinubu’s Plan to Appoint 20 Special Advisers Slammed by Stakeholders for Increasing Cost of Governance

Nigerians have expressed worry over the plan by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint 20 Special Advisers, saying he should strive to reduce the cost of governance considering the parlous state of the economy.

It would be recalled that Pres­ident Tinubu requested and got the nod of the National Assembly to appoint 20 Special Advisers.

This figure, however, will be outside the 36 ministers he will also appoint from each of the 36 states of the Federation as mem­bers of his the Federal Executive Council (FEC), as provided by the nation’s constitution.

Several Nigerians Sunday In­dependent spoke to express wor­ry that Tinubu will run a very expensive administration, which could be a waste of public funds considering the poor economy.

They maintained that al­though ordinarily and by law, a president has the power to appoint as many advisers as he likes, Tinubu should note that the majority of Nigerians now live below the poverty line.

One of such analysts who spoke to Sunday Independent, Comrade Kunle Wizeman Ajayi, maintained that appointing 20 Special Advisers will be another waste of public resources.

Ajayi, former Chairman of the African Action Congress (AAC) in Lagos stated: “Tinubu will do more by making sure public servants become public bosses.

“We are in for a harder time. It is the workers and the people that should bear the brunt of econom­ic hardships.

“But, Tinubu now has 20 SAs. This means the cost of gover­nance is higher, and cost of living is far lower!”

Barrister Emeka Iheonu, a Lagos lawyer, stated: “Appointing 20 Special Advisers in addition to about 36 Ministers yet to be ap­pointed is quite befuddling and ill-advised.

“Reasonable Nigerians have long been clamouring for a re­duction in Nigeria’s cost of gover­nance, but this has been ignored by those in the position to carry it out just because they are stu­pendously benefitting from the largesse emanating there from.

“The Executive and Legisla­tive arms of government in Ni­geria have immensely contribut­ed to the economic woes in the country via their profligacy and wasteful actions.”