Uchendu Alexis
PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo, recently criticized President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing wave of appointments, emphasizing the need for government accountability, transparency, and cost reduction. Osifo made these remarks at the Energy and Labour Summit 2023 in Abuja, where he also leads the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Osifo passionately highlighted the growing disparity between the government’s expanding bureaucracy and the hardships faced by ordinary Nigerians. He questioned the rationale of cutting fuel subsidies while the government continued to engage in lavish spending.
He emphasized that the prevailing approach could not be sustained and urged the government to consider the impact on the general population, echoing the sentiments of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria.
The PENGASSAN president stressed the importance of accountability and urged the government to reduce the cost of governance to allocate resources effectively. He expressed concerns about the ever-expanding government size, exemplified by the recent appointment of six media aides.
Osifo voiced concerns that the existing 48 ministers could lead to a bloated bureaucracy, as ministers would recruit more aides, thereby increasing public spending. He called for the government’s accountability and suggested the development of policy statements to curtail unnecessary expenses.
