That Nigeria went to the 112th International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference held in Geneva, Switzerland recently with the largest number of delegates, despite the pledge by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reduce the cost of governance, is a sharp indication that his administration is not ready to walk its talk.

With 289 delegates, comprising 108 government officials, the highest amongst the 187 member countries that featured at the annual event, the much-touted commitment of the Tinubu administration to reducing the cost of governance is indeed and regrettably coming across as a ruse. It should be unsettling that the Nigerian government featured such a large size of public officials at the conference at a time the economy is writhing under the burden of revenue shortfall that compelled long drawn squabble as well as stalemate in the negotiation for a new national minimum wage which had elicited the shutdown of the country days before the commencement of the events in Geneva.

It is recalled that following widespread condemnation of the long list of delegates at the COP28 in the United Arab Emirate which held between November 30 and December 12, 2023, the Federal Government, in January 2024, pledged to ensure 60 per cent reduction in the number of government delegates attending future foreign events. Presidential spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale was upbeat about President Tinubu’s determination to ensure prudence in the management of public resources in a statement announcing the ceilings on the number of officials and aides to be allowed to undertake foreign trips. According to the presidential aide, the offices of the president, vice president as well as those of the wives of the president and the vice president, and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have been restricted to a number of officials and agents for inclusion in foreign trips as part of measures aimed at cutting the cost of governance. In February 2024, the presidency also announced its decision to fully implement the Orosanye Report that has been long awaited in furtherance of commitment to cutting the cost of governance.

With the large number of delegates at the ILO convention in June 2024, it appears nothing significant has changed beyond convenient political statements. There could be no justification for such a large number of public officials on the trip to Geneva for a conference considering the country’s prevailing economic downturn which has made government to repeatedly call on the masses to make sacrifices. It is lamentable that government officials led by Minister of State for Labour and Productivity Nkeiruka Onyejeocha accounted for more than 50 per cent of Nigeria’s delegates. With such exhibition at the expense of scarce public resources and unmindful of the wider implications of paying for flight tickets, hotel accommodation, feeding and estacode on the foreign exchange crisis in the light of the continued dwindling value of the naira, it would be difficult for the government to convince Nigerians about its commitment to reducing the cost of governance. It does not add up that government committed over N750 million of scarce public revenue to maintain its officials at the ILO conference while the masses continue to bear the brunt of inadequate funding of critical sectors, including health and education.

The public deserves explanation from the Ministry of Labour and Productivity on the rationale for parading such a large number of government officials. The Federal Government should ensure that those who may have flouted the directives regarding approved number of public officials undertaking foreign travels are held to account. It is also imperative for Mr. President to take a second look at his earlier directive to further streamline the numbers of officials on foreign trips in line with the new thinking of reducing the cost of governance and discourage wasteful expenditures. It is unfortunate that government appears not to have heeded the calls to conserve funds for the things that directly benefit the generality of the masses rather than engage in promoting jamboree at the pleasure of a handful of public officials overwhelming majority of whom may have no real business being at the ILO event and may, therefore, not prioritise quality participation or representation, as the case may be, at the designated sessions of the conference.

The government must be expressly committed to saving public resources to be channeled to critical areas where they are most needed to reinvigorate the economy. The government must implement measures aimed at cutting the cost of governance which has not only become unsustainable but adversative to economic growth and sustainable development of Nigeria. We urge the government to ensure that foreign engagements by public officials at the levels of the MDAs reflect agenda critical to promoting the growth of the economy, particularly in relation to the germane requirements in the areas of research and development. Unfortunately, public servants, particularly strategic personnel in public institutions who desire international exposure to expand the horizon of their knowledge through engagement in research and development activities rarely have access to such opportunities while some privilege officials are allowed to embark on the foreign trips merely for pleasures. It has become expedient to prioritise foreign trips whose outcome will have direct bearing on governance. Nigeria must urgently reposition new generation of personnel with the exposures and requisite know-how in laying sustainable foundation for the revitalisation of the economy. This has become pertinent in the light of the emerging challenges of the 21st century where capacity rather than dependency is essential to making socio-economic prosperity sustainable.