President Bola Tinubu has banned ministers, heads of agencies, and other government officials from embarking on publicly funded foreign trips.
According to Tinubu, the ban, aimed at reducing costs in governance, will last for three months in the first instance and will take effect on April 1, 2024.
The decision was communicated in a statement dated March 12, 2024, signed by the Chief of Staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila, and addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
In January, the President issued an order to reduce the number of people accompanying him on both local and foreign trips.
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He had stated that his delegation members should not exceed 25 for local travels and 20 for international trips.
Also, Tinubu mandated that security agents at his destination should provide his protection, rather than being accompanied by many security personnel from Abuja.
His decision came in response to the backlash he faced during and after the last twenty-eighth Conference of Parties (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates, which about 590 Nigerian officials attended.
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The government clarified that it provided funding for only 422 out of the 590 individuals in the delegation.
However, government officials intending to go on any publicly funded foreign trip were advised to seek and obtain presidential approval at least two weeks before embarking on such a trip, which must be deemed absolutely necessary.
The statement read:
“Mr President has concerns about the rising cost of travel expenses borne by Ministries, Department and Agencies of Government as well as the growing need for cabinet members and heads of MDAs to focus on their respective mandates for effective service delivery.
“Considering the current economic challenges and the need for responsible fiscal management, I am writing to communicate Mr Presideni’s directive to place a temporary ban on all public funded international trips for all Federal Government officials at all levels, for an initial period of three months from Ist April 2024.
“This temporary measure is aimed at cost reduction in governance and intended as a cost-saving measure without compromising government functions.
“All government officials who intend to go on any public funded international trips must seek and obtain Presidential approval at least two weeks prior to embarking on any such trip, which must be deemed absolutely necessary.”
