Governor bans political aides from trips outside the state
Determined to reduce the cost of governance, the Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri has banned all his political aides from embarking on trips outside the state.
He said the only condition that such trips would be authorised was if the financial burden would not be borne by the state government.
While speaking with Arewa PUNCH in an exclusive chat on Friday in Yola, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor Humawashi Wounosikou, disclosed that since the fuel subsidy was removed, the governor had banned all political appointees from travelling outside the state on the bill of the state.
Wounosikou said, “His Excellency saw the economic crisis ahead after the removal of the fuel subsidy and took a proactive action to protect the state treasury.
“All these projects you see going in the entire three senatorial districts wouldn’t have been possible, but for the prudence of the governor in the management of the state resources, he is now achieving a lot with little money.”
“To prove to the world that the governor is careful in his spending of the state funds, he travels outside the country for official assignments alone, his aides including his ADC don’t go with him,” Wounosikou revealed.
Querying no one in particular, he further asked, “Who can do that in this country?”
The CPS, who was to later disclose that some states have over 1000 aides, maintained that the Adamawa governor has a small number of aides.
However, Arewa PUNCH reports that the governor only recently appointed 25 commissioners, 57 heads of boards and commissioners, with 182 special assistants.
Also speaking with Arewa PUNCH exclusively on Friday in Yola on the rating of the state government’s expenses in the country, a financial consultant and chief executive officer of Apex consultancy based in Yola the Adamawa state capital Mr. Terkimbi Tyona accused the governors of building the cost of governance at the detriment of the people.
Tyona pointed out that the fuelling of a 500-meter convoy of a Nigerian governor alone is enough to sink over 50 boreholes in the state.
He further alleged that “Some of the governors appointed over one thousand aides without any schedule of duty. To those governors in that category,” Tyona educated that “while they think it’s youth empowerment, but in reality, it is a waste of resources.”
He insisted, “These aides are not performing any function that helps in the development of the state.”
The consultant advised that rather, “such governors should employ them in their civil service structure where they will be given the schedule of duties and they will be working to move the state forward.”
Tyona further stressed that medical tourism should be banned and that all political appointees’ children should be made to school in Nigeria, and the appointees should also patronise Nigeria’s hospitals.
He stated, “How can a minister of education or commissioner for education’s children be schooling abroad and their parents will be presiding over our education sector? This means our education is useless. That is the simple interpretation,” he said.
