Journalism in the service of society

Tinubu’s 48 ministers to gulp N8.6b in four years

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration will spend N8.63 billion on ministers’ salaries and allowances over the next four years according to Daily trust’s analysis.

The figure could however rise as the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) finalises its review of public servants’ remuneration.

But experts stated that the large cabinet contradicts President Bola Tinubu’s promise of reducing the cost of governance.

They also noted having many ministers who would mean that many aides would put pressure on resources available at the detriment of millions of Nigerians who are in need of good governance.

Tinubu’s immediate predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, had 42 ministers.

Similarly, in 2011, former President Goodluck Jonathan appointed 33 ministers to his cabinet, nine of whom were carried over from the late President Umar Yar’Adua’s administration.

The late President Yar’Adua appointed 39 ministers in 2007; while former President Olusegun Obasanjo had 42 ministers in 1999.

Further analysis revealed that the federal government will spend over N13 billion on the salaries and allowances of the ministers alone.

This excludes estacodes and other travel expenses that the government will spend on the incoming ministers.

Experts say considering the penchant for traveling by Nigerian politicians, only time will tell how much this will guzzle from Nigeria’s forex, which is hard to get considering our low output in terms of export.

It is very common to see ministers attending international conferences and in some cases jetting out in search of foreign investment for the sector they superintend.

Data on the remuneration package for public service holders from RMFAC revealed that a minister’s monthly salary is fixed at N650,135.99. This means that a minister gets N7.801 million per annum.

A breakdown of this amount showed that the basic salary of a minister is N2,026,400 per annum; vehicle fueling N1,519,800; personal assistance, N506,600; domestic staff, N1,519,800; entertainment, N911,880; utilities, N607,920; monitoring, N405,280 and newspapers, N303,960.

These exclude other allowances approved for ministers by the RMAFC such as N16.20m for accommodation for four years; furniture allowance, N6.079m; severance gratuity, N6.079m; leave allowance, N0.81m and motor vehicle allowance, N8.1m.

Based on the analysis, each of the 48 ministers will get a N31.2m salary for four years. This implies that all of them will receive N1.497bn as monthly salary for the next four years.

Each minister is also granted annual supplementary allowances of N37.28 million translating into N1.785 billion annually for all of them and N7.142bn for four years.

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