Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Friday asked President Bola Tinubu to lead by example and cut the cost and taxpayers’ funds wasted in the running of his office.

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said with the unprecedented rise in cost of living occasioned by the abrupt and not-well-planned removal of petrol subsidy, the President should lead by example by cutting down cost of running his office.

The group said it is a dent to the leadership of the new President to remove petrol subsidy and embark on an ostentatious lifestyle with scores of Sport Utility Vehicles in his convoy as seen in Lagos this week when he arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport from London.

HURIWA said it is ironical and hypocritical for the President to claim he is reducing what the government is spending through subsidy removal, yet the President goes around with over 100 cars in his convoy whilst millions of poor Nigerians cannot afford transportation to-and-fro work again and have resorted to trekking long distance because of the hardship occasioned by the abrupt and ill-thought subsidy removal.

HURIWA’s Onwubiko said: “The unprecedented rise in costs of living vis-a-vis the ostentatious lifestyle of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who was recently seen with about 100 cars in his convoy are worrisome. The new President should lead by example, especially now that the Budget Office of the Federation will stop budgetary allocations to over 30 professional bodies and councils.

“Over 130 million multidimensionally poor Nigerians have been thrown into untold hardship with the sudden petrol subsidy removal. They now trek in their numbers to-and-fro work. They trek long distance because they can’t afford high transport fares caused by the about 200% increase in cost of the pump price per litre of Premium Motor Spirit known as petrol. In just four months of APC's misadventure in political leadership this year, four million Nigerians became absolutely poor people therefore swelling the 130 million multidimensionally poor Nigerians.

“Yet, the President, who claims to feel the pains of Nigerians in his June 12, 2023 speech is going around with over-bloated convoys with about 100 cars just to move from an airport to his Bourdillon residence. Tinubu should lead by example and not be unfeeling to the plight of the common man caused by a policy he foisted on Nigerians without palliative measures.

“Also, the new administration should be mindful of Nigeria’s dwindling external reserves which fell by $2.85bn in the first half of 2023 due to external debt finance among other challenges. Politicians should not mount more pressure on our external reserves because of their ostentatious lifestyle. They should all live by example and feel the heat of the moment.”

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