RMAFC boss backs Tinubu’s move to cut governance costs

The Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Dr Muhammad Bello, has praised President Bola Tinubu’s directive to reduce the convoy size of ministers and chief executives as a strategic step to curb Nigeria’s high governance costs.

Bello urged state governments to adopt similar measures, emphasising the need for efficiency and resource management at all levels of government.

In a statement issued over the weekend, he highlighted that excessive government spending has hampered the nation’s infrastructure development and social services, contributing to high unemployment rates, declining investments, and increasing insecurity.

“A society can only progress when it builds a competent, cost-effective system that maximises resources for the benefit of all citizens,” he said.

Reflecting on RMAFC’s longstanding advocacy for reducing governance costs, the RMAFC chairman noted that the commission has consistently provided the government with recommendations to trim unnecessary expenses and redirect funds to impactful developmental projects.

“The cost of governance remains alarmingly high, with Nigeria’s bureaucracy burdened by overlapping ministries, departments, and agencies, compounded by pervasive corruption,” he stated.

He pointed out additional factors inflating public expenditure, including infrastructure decay, security challenges due to insurgencies, kidnapping, ethnoreligious conflicts, multiple salary claims, and high levels of both domestic and foreign debt.

According to him, these pressures undermine Nigeria’s ability to invest in essential sectors, such as healthcare and education, while restricting industrial growth and infrastructure development.

Expressing concern over the cost burden on all three branches of government, Bello noted, “Nigeria’s governance expenses rank among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa, a reality that strains government resources and limits the delivery of crucial services.”

To address these challenges, RMAFC reiterated its call for the implementation of the Oronsaye report, a reduction in political appointees, and stricter oversight of government expenditures.