President Muhammadu Buhari has restrained ministers-designate from the use of large convoys and retinue of aides.
This was disclosed by a minister-designate, Dr. Chris Ngige, who addressed State House correspondents shortly after the rounding up of a two-day retreat held for the 36 ministers-designate at the Presidential Villa yesterday.
The order, he said, was in line with the nation's economic reality.
Speaking about the economy, Ngige said: “Yes, lean economy because 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.”
On ongoing debates on portfolios for ministers, he said: “If you have portfolio, if you don’t have portfolio, it is one single Federal Executive Council (FEC). You bring whatever it is on the table. That is not a problem at all. We have a right to discuss things around the ministries because it is one single cabinet.
“The important thing is that we want to move our people from where they are now, they are in abject poverty which concerns about 75 percent of the populace.
“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.”
Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Coporation, Mr Ibe Kachukwu described the retreat as a wonderful session.
He said: “It equips us, gets us ready, charges us to action and we pray.”