A LAGOS-BASED human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has suggested that no governor in Nigeria should have more than five vehicles in his convoy.
He gave the recommendation following the large convoy that welcomed and accompanied President Bola Tinubu out of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, in Lagos, on Tuesday, June 27.
The President arrived at the airport from London, where he went on a private visit after attending the signing of a New Global Financial Pact with other global leaders in Paris, France, between June 22 and 23.
Tinubu returned to Nigeria (Lagos State) to celebrate today’s Eid-el-Kabir (Sallah) with his family, friends and political allies.
Among the dignitaries who received the President at the airport were the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, and All Progressives Congress (APC) Governance Advisory Council members.
Reacting to the long convoy that snaked through the streets of heavily-populated Lagos with attendant gridlocks, Effiong wrote on his Twitter and verified Facebook Page on Wednesday, June 28: “Mr Bola Tinubu’s convoy in Lagos is another reminder that the political class is not ready to make the sacrifices which they expect from citizens. A nation that has a devastating debt burden shouldn’t be run this way. Those defending the monstrous convoy don’t wish Nigeria well.
“The fact that other officials were in the convoy does not justify such monstrosity. The fact that two governors and the NSA (National Security Adviser) were reportedly part of the convoy does not justify the number of vehicles in the video. It is absurd. Tinubu could have insisted on reducing the vehicles.”
He accused the President of removing fuel subsidy to save cost but was “wasting limited resources on frivolity. No governor should have more than five vehicles in a convoy,” Effiong said.
He noted that the country could keep making ‘silly’ excuses for its wastefulness, stressing that its people would bear the consequences through continuous suffering.
The ICIR reported how the President suspended fuel subsidy on May 29 after taking the oath of office.
The end of the subsidy regime was accompanied by a surge in the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol.
The price increase, which went as much as over 200 per cent in some states, attracted a commensurate rise in prices of some basic goods and services.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org