That Ban On Conference Bags

President Muhammadu Buhari was quoted
to have banned the issuance of conference
bags, colourful programmes, souvenirs among others at seminars and conferences funded by the Federal Government.  The reason is to cut cost of governance in the country.
According to reports, the ban followed recommendations made by a committee charged with the duty of identifying areas of waste in government services.  In fact, the committee recommends that event programmes should be in black and white and should be reduced to one page in some cases.
Much as government will need to cut cost especially in the light of current economic realities, the resort to banning the use of enlightenment and informational materials at conferences appears to be  petty and capable of taking Nigeria back to the 1930s.
Whereas we may not be privileged to seeing the sum that made the committee recommend  the way they did, we are certain that the committee did not take steps to confirm that such sum was actually used on conferences.   Just as the national budget was padded, finance officers have a way of allocating figures under different sub-heads for some purposes.
For an administration whose policies had brought so much hardship on the people, this ban is most unadvisable.  Why some officials would want to make the President  look less popular in the estimation of the ordinary people is what we cannot understand.  Clearly, this is a bad advice.
The Tide cannot understand why persons who go to seminars should not be aided to participate optimally.  They will need to take notes, have reference materials and memorabilias.    Apart from the colour such items bring to the events, it aids security, and builds the spirit of comradeship among others.
The ban on souvenirs is almost unwarranted.  The African culture of appreciating people is not based on wealth.  This virtue of giving also has its advantages that no government should attempt to ridicule.  Indeed, government can ensure prudent management of conference funding without resorting to a military style ban.
Like conference spending, every single activity of government can be used as a conduit.  The problem is not with the subject, but the officials handling them.  If this ban is not reviewed, the same persons will find other avenues of making money for themselves and government cannot go on banning every financial activity.
On the other hands, the Federal Government ought to have looked at the effect of the ban before venturing into it.  This is one ban that will negatively affect some Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMSEs) in the country which survive on the production of such articles.  Apart from the fact that it is a business line for many families, the printing industry, local arts manufacturers among others will suffer.
This cannot be happening in a country that wants to be a tourists destination, not one that seeks to create employment even by making the unemployed more restless.  Certainly, not in a country that seeks to compete and win in the international arena.  The producers of the conference bags do so much to dilate the economy.
We support every move at saving money, but we must ensure that such funds are not taken to other persons who don’t contribute as much to the economy. Similarly, the point should be made that in saving money, government must not forget that all that it does should be for the benefit of the people.  If we save money and starve the people, the purpose of governance is lost.
On the other hand, if government wants to cut cost, there are many areas to attack and not the source of livelihood of many Nigerians.    It is sad that in their work, the committee failed to see the monumental waste in government sponsorship of pilgrimages for both Christians and Muslims in the country.
The Federal Government must cut cost by limiting endless foreign trips by government officials.  They should cut down on the number of allowances for members of the National Assembly and the amounts attached to each.
In fact, the remuneration of political office holders should be reviewed downwards, while the appointment of two Ministers for one Ministry ought to stop.  It is only then that they would be seen to be cutting cost.