The President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu has placed a ban on Ministers, heads of agencies, and other government officials working under him from embarking on public funded foreign trips.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the ban will be in place for three months in the first instance and will take effect on April 1, 2024.
This decision was made known through a letter dated March 12, 2024, and signed by the Chief of Staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila; and addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
Recall that in January, Tinubu issued an order to reduce the number of people accompanying him on both local and foreign trips, noting that his delegation members should not exceed 25 for local travels and 20 for international trip
He also mandated that security agents at his destination should provide his protection instead of being accompanied by many security personnel from Abuja.
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This came following 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.
Responding to the public outburst, the government said it provided funding for only 422 out of the 590 individuals in the delegation.
The letter indicating the ban read in part, “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.”
The ban, according to the letter, was aimed at reducing costs in governance.