President Bola Tinubu has firmly stated that he will not reduce the size of his cabinet, dismissing criticism that labels it as bloated.
During his first media chat on Monday night, the president made it clear that he is unwilling to scale back the 52-member cabinet and the numerous special assistants and advisers in his administration.
This decision contrasts with Tinubu’s campaign promise to cut down on the cost of governance and redirect the savings into developmental projects across the country.
When asked about the possibility of reducing the cabinet to lower the cost of governance, President Tinubu explained that he carefully selected the cabinet members with specific roles and responsibilities in mind.
He emphasized the need for an efficient and effective team to fulfill these roles and meet the demands of governing such a large and diverse country.
The president further justified the size of his cabinet by pointing out Nigeria’s vast population and the resources needed to manage a country of over 200 million people. He stressed that the focus should be on efficiency, effectiveness, and the value added by each cabinet member.
“I’m not prepared to bring down the size of my cabinet. One, I saw the need when I put them together. You don’t give somebody an assignment that they cannot fulfill, no. From the job description, these people must be efficient and effective.”
Explaining further why he needs the bloated cabinet, the President said:
“Nigeria is a large country and if you are to entertain over 200 million, just on entertainment, calculate how many stewards you will require. That is just for entertainment, not the cleaners, not the tables.
“Let’s pay attention to efficiency. Efficiency, effectiveness is the hallmark of the philosophy of why I have that cabinet. I’m not ready to shrink a little bit of them. I need them.
“They are all adding value effectively. Show me one and I will agree with you,” he added.
