Chrys
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, said
President Bola Tinubu has made some personal efforts to reduce the costs of
governance but his moves were rejected.
Speaking on Channels
Television’s Politics Today, Ajaero said the President
disclosed this to the leaders of organised labour during their private meeting
with him on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, following their protests against
fuel subsidy removal.
Asked if the union leaders asked
Tinubu about government officials cutting the costs of governance amid his
economic reforms, Ajaero said that line of questioning led to the President’s
reason for his staff size.
According to him, the President
said that instead of complaining about his numerous Special Advisers, the union
leaders should see their employment from a job creation perspective.
Ajaero further said that the
President informed the union leaders that in his bid to personally reduce the
cost of governance, he opted to use his private jet but the move was rejected
for security reasons.
“He (Tinubu) took his own case
for example. He told us that if you come to his fleet of cars, that it was
large and he made efforts to reduce it and he was told that it’s a security
issue, Ajaero said.
“He equally went further to
say that he prefers to use his own private jet and they told him no, it’s a
security issue, he must use the government jet. And he went further to say,
even himself, that he’s using only a two-bedroom flat.
He added that the President
maintained that he was trying as much as possible to reduce the cost of
governance.
