By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The reported sacking of about 35 aides attached to Vice President, Mr Yemi Osinbajo, has been confirmed by the presidency on Friday.
A statement issued this afternoon by Mr Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari explained that the action was taken to reduce cost of governance, which has been an issue since the return of democracy to Nigeria in 1999.
Mr Shehu said the aides were asked to vacant their offices as part of an “on-going, an unprecedented overhaul of the nation’s seat of government.”
According to him, this exercise brought about “a number of political appointments” being “revoked or not renewed in the second term.”
Mr Shehu said, “The exercise, which has been ordered by the President, is to streamline decision-making, cut down multiple authorities and reduce the cost of administration.”
“It is also an appropriate response to the general perception that the presidency has an oversized and bloated workforce which acts as a drag on efficiency,” he added.
“As may have been noticed by discerning members of the public, a number of political appointees among the few that served in the office of the President were not returned for the second term.
“The office of the Vice President, His Excellency Yemi Osinbajo has, in compliance with the directive of the President, equally been shed of a number of such appointees,” he confirmed.
He said, “In carrying out these exercises, the overriding objective is to save taxpayer money and deliver needed service to the public. As far as the President is concerned, there is no scope for an excuse for administration after getting a huge mandate to run the country for four more years.”
“In the light of this, the Presidency wishes to strongly deny rumours of a rift between President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. The relationship between the two leaders remains excellent and trusting. Together, they will script a glorious future for the nation,” he said.
“The media reports of a soured relationship are originating from the minds and mouths of mischief makers, who are desperate for entertaining stories from the Aso Rock Villa with which to titillate the public. This ulterior motive is the basis of the wrong interpretation given to the recent exercise in the Presidency.
“There has been a streamlining of staff going on for a while. The President has always had fewer staff than the Vice President, and there were always plans to reduce the number of staff at the Villa.
“The streamlining was not personal or targeted to undermine the Vice President’s office, as the so-called insider sources quoted by the media appear to make it seem,” he said further.
“The President is in absolute control of his government. The media should stop attributing non-existent powers to some people. There cannot be anyone too powerful for President Buhari to control,” Mr Shehu warned.
Adedapo Adesanya