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Reason Buhari Increased Tour Allowance Of Ministers, PermSec, Civil Servants By N50,000

Nigeria’s cost of governance is set to skyrocket, as the duty tour allowances (DTAs) for Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Civil Servants on grade level one to 17 has been increased by President Muhammadu Buhari due to soaring inflation.

Last month, President Buhari had complained about the high inflation across the world, stating that there’s need for federal civil service salary to be reviewed. This is to withstand the hike in cost of goods and services experienced by officials during foreign trips.

Recall that Nigeria’s inflation rate surged to a 17-year high of 19.64% in July. And that of the United States had also reported a 40-year high of 9.1% inflation rate in June, before it slowed to 8.5% in July, with the UK inflation rate rising to 40-year high of 10.1% two months ago.

Owing to the high inflation rate across the world, President Buhari approved a N50,000 increment of the duty tour allowance, which is payment made to Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Civil Servants for official trips.

What you need to know

The increment comes at a time the Director-General of the Debt Management Office (DMO), Patience Oniha, told the National Assembly to scrutinise the capital and overhead components in the Federal Government budget.

Oniha said the capital and overhead components are the reason Nigeria is running on a budget deficit for years, and also increasing the country’s debt, which has risen to N41.6 trillion as at the end of the first quarter 2022, from N39.56 trillion recorded at the end of December 2021.

Breakdown of the salary increment

In a circular dated August 31, 2022, by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, and signed by its Chairman, Ekpo Nta, it was revealed that the increment took effect on September 1, 2022.

The statement reads, “The president of the federal republic of Nigeria has approved the upward review of duty tour allowances applicable to Permanent Secretary/Equivalent from N20,0000 to N70,000, and to minister/SGF/HCSF/Equivalent from N35,000 to N80,000.”