President Muhammadu Buhari has said his administration will still carry on with the cutting down of the cost of governance by reducing the number of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
The president said this at meeting with the Nigerian community in Benin Republic.
Buhari, was in Benin Republic at the weekend on a one-day visit and to attend the country’s 55th independence anniversary.
The president while assuring that he would not take the interest of Nigerians for granted, including those living in the Diaspora when cutting down the number of MDAs said his administration would also consider the requests by many to setting up of consular offices where necessary to enable the embassies coordinate and respond to their urgent needs in an efficient manner.
On requests for two more consulates in Benin Republic to complement the Nigerian embassy, Buhari noted that even though the federal government was trying to cut down the number of MDAs, he would include their request in next year’s budget.
“I think I will direct your ambassador to make the request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so that by the time we are doing the next budget, it would be included.
“Although we are trying to cut down on the number of ministries, the morale of Nigerians in Diaspora must be considered. This is because we are so many.
“We are aggressive whether in business or other facets of life. So, we as a government will do everything possible to look after Nigerians wherever they are.”
Buhari also promised to look into the request that the services of the National Open University (NOUN) should be extended to the Nigerian community in Benin.
He then urged the Ambassador to liaise with the Ministry of Education for the modalities of extending the services to those in Diaspora.
When asked what the government is doing to expedite their relocation home, Buhari advised the Nigerian community to rather stay where they were and not risk coming back home only to be redundant.
President Buhari’s commitment to cutting the cost of governance can not be out of place in the light of the recent nose diving of the global price of crude oil. Nigeria, an oil dependent country is currently facing financial hard times as the new administration has often decried the near-empty status of its treasury.
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