Government activities have finally taken off in full swing in the Presidential Villa, as President Muhammadu Buhari has finally moved in.
Part of the highlights of the first action on his resumption in office at the Presidential Villa is the slash in the number of aides accompanying him on foreign and local trips, including the media, as part of efforts to cut the cost of governance.
Buhari had earlier promised to run a lean government. He had as a first move in that direction, requested approval by the National Assembly for 15 special advisers, as against 18 by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
In the past administration, the list of aides accompanying the president on trips always ran into numbers deemed worrisome by Nigerians. They were mostly critiqued for the size of the delegation that accompanied the president, mostly on foreign trips.
According to sources at the Presidential Villa, slots for each department have been hugely cut. It is not clear how many slots have been given to the Security and Protocol departments, but the media now has two slots per trip as against four.
Our source further disclosed that a memo has already been circulated to this effect and all departments have already taken note. “ The security may have between three and four slots rotated between the old and new officers, there may be other slots for the senior security officers, but I know the media has two slots for journalists and two for media officers (those who carry the podium and the information officer) our source said.
Previously, every department had two groups on every trip, both local and foreign. They had the recce team, made up of senior officials of the security, media and protocol units, who went ahead to access the situation and make adequate arrangements. The advance team, also made up of officers of the security, media (journalists) and protocol unit, typically arrived a day or two to before the president. Sometimes this list runs into about a hundred for local trips and about half of this for foreign trips.
Meanwhile, on his first day at the Presidential Villa, the president proposed a meeting with the media.However, as at the time of filing this report, the meeting was yet to take place as he was busy with other engagements.
The president and vice president Yemi Osinbajo, were held up in a meeting with security chiefs which lasted for over four hours, his first major assignment at the Presidential Villa.
President Buhari and his family finally took over the official residence on Sunday, after three weeks of sojourn at the Defence House.
It is also expected that now that the President has fully settled in to work from his office at the Aso Rock, other major appointments like that of the Chief Of Staff and other Presidential Aides will follow.
Also, Laolu Akande assumed duty as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) Media and Publicity, in the office of the vice president.
Elizabeth Archibong
