Since taking office 20 months ago, the administration of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima has set up at least 42 committees to oversee various government programs.
The committee spans multiple departments including education, agriculture, health, safety, digital economy and civil service.
The cost of the presidential committee
According to Punch, an analysis of government records shows that the presidential committee has spent a total of $2.17 billion on operations since 2018.
On average, $3 billion is dedicated to its activities each year, while the 2025 budget proposal puts aside $37.3 billion in commission operations.
On June 19, only three weeks were spent, and the then presidential adviser communicated, special responsibilities and strategies, attenuated alachea steering committee was announced to address the organized Labor Party’s demands after the sudden cancellation of fuel subsidies.
The commission’s mandate is to provide a framework within eight weeks.
On July 7, Tinubu was chaired by the former head of taxation at PwC Africa, Ido Highty.
The Presidential Steering Committee was then formed for labor inciting subsidies.
Economic and industrial plans
On September 14, Tinubu established the Presidential Commission on Implementing Livestock Reform, which led to the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development.
On October 10, the President’s Flood Reduction Commission was established under the leadership of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, which sets out an action plan to address national flood disasters.
In November, Tinubu created the President’s Industrial Revitalization Roadmap, composed of ten subcommittees to review industrial policies of multiple ministries.
Security and Constitutional Reform
On November 1, Tinubu instructed the Nigerian Police Department to establish a special committee to review the 1999 Constitution and improve coordination between law enforcement technology and human resources.
A week later, the National Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System Coordination Committee opened with the National Geospatial Data Repository.
On January 17, following the devastating explosion in Ibadan, the Federal Executive Committee (FEC) formed a committee to review laws guiding explosives control.
Social capital development
On January 31, Vice President Shettima set up a tripartite committee on the new national minimum wage, including federal and state representatives, private sector officials and labor leaders.
On February 8, Tinubu established a special presidential committee on first aid food interventions, promoting the release of 102,000 metric tons of cereals to address food insecurity.
On February 13, Shettima formed the Pulaku Initiative Implementation Committee, a plan aimed at resolving conflicts among farmers across the country.
The financial burden of the committee increased
Documents reviewed by Punch show that since 2018, the federal government has allocated $18.9 billion to fund the presidential committee, covering allowances and operating expenses.
Annual breakdown of committee expenditures
2018: ₦21.3 billion
2019: ₦2.5 billion
2020: ₦18.4 billion
2021: ₦501 million
2022: ₦32.2 billion
2023: ₦37.3 billion
2024: ₦25.8 billion
2025 (Proposed): ₦25.8 billion
The Office of the Secretary of the Federal Government (OSGF) oversees these expenditures, funding initiatives such as the President’s Entition of the Business Environment Committee, the President’s Technical Committee on Land Reform and the President’s Standing Committee on Invention and Innovation.
